BOOK  ON 

ANGLING 

BY 

FRANCIS  _  FRA,NCIS 

Edited  wttli  Qtt  liiirodnciian.  hy 

Sir  HERBERT  MAXWELLJi 


LIBRARY 

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A  BOOK   ON   ANGLING 


%5.  t^^ 


1-roiitispi 


1.     The  Popham. 
3.    The  Claret  Jay. 
5.    The  Dun  Wing. 


2.     The  Jock  Scott. 
4.     The  Lee  Blue. 
G.     The  Butcher. 


A  BOOK  ON 

ANGLING 

BEING    A  COMPLETE   TREATISE   ON   THE 
ART    OF    ANGLING    IN    EVERY    BRANCH 


BY 

FRANCIS    FRANCIS 

EDITED  WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

SIR  HERBERT  MAXWELL,  Bt. 

CONTAINING    NUMEROUS    PLATES    IN 
COLOUR  AND   OTHER  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT   COMPANY 

LONDON:  HERBERT  JENKINS  LTD. 

1920 


The  Mayflower  Press.  Plymouth.  England.    William  Brenaon  &  Son  Ltd. 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

BY  SIR  HERBERT  MAXWELL,  Bt. 

IT'S  a  far  cry  to  Loch  Awe,*  runs  the  adage  with  which 
the  dreaded  Campbells,  after  a  successful  raid  on  some 
weaker  clan,  were  wont  to  defy  reprisals ;  but  it  is  a 
much  further  cry  to  that  distant  day  in  1867  when  I 
opened  a  parcel  containing  Francis  Francis's  A  Book  on 
Angling,  a  gift  from  the  author.  Of  the  intervening  half- 
century  I  have  spent — serious  persons  may  say  wasted — a 
considerable  section  by  the  waterside,  and  another  section  by 
the  fireside  conning  some  of  the  vast  amount  of  angling 
literature  that  has  flowed  from  the  press  during  that  period  ; 
but  in  all  these  years  I  have  never  detected  any  faUacy  in 
Francis's  precepts  for  such  branches  of  the  fisher  craft  as  I 
have  practised,  neither  have  I  handled  any  book  which  gives 
such  succinct  and  trustworthy  instruction  in  every  form  of 
freshwater  angling.  Excellent  treatises  upon  this  or  that 
department  of  the  sport  might  be  named  ;  but  Francis  dealt 
with  them  all ;  his  experience  of  them  was  universal,  his 
knowledge  encyclopaedic.  There  have  been  changes  in  practice 
since  Francis  fished  and  wrote.  The  art  of  dry  fly-fishing,  for 
instance,  he  dismisses,  though  with  approval,  in  a  couple  of 
paragraphs  (pp.  iii,  128)  ;  it  is  now  almost  exclusive  of  any 
other  method  in  chalk  streams,  besides  being  often  adopted 
with  success  on  northern  and  Irish  waters. 

In  the  angler's  equipment  many  improvements  have  been 
devised.  Just  as  Izaak  Walton  had  never  seen  a  reel  or,  as  he 
calls  it,  "  a  wheel  about  the  middle  of  the  rod  or  near  the  hand, 
which  is  to  be  observed  better  by  seeing  one  of  them  than  by  a 
large  demonstration  of  words,"  and  advised  Venator  if  he 
should  hook  a  great  trout  to  throw  the  rod  into  the  river  to 
him,  "  for  so  I  use  always  to  do  when  I  meet  with  an  over- 
grown fish,"  so  Francis  had  no  experience  of  the  charm  of  a 

*  Southron  readers  kindly  note  that  Loch  Awe  is  sounded  to  rhyme  with 
"  how  "  not  with  "  haw." 

V 

036 


vi  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

split-cane  trout  rod  (for  salmon  fishing  commend  me  still  to 
sound  greenheart),  nor  of  the  convenience  of  a  Malloch  reel  in 
minnow  fishing,  nor  of  the  virtue  of  adhesive  tape  which  has 
rendered  ferrule- jointed  salmon  rods  as  obsolete  for  all  time 
as  muzzle-loading  shot-guns.  To  these  and  other  changes  I 
will  venture  to  call  attention  in  notes  ;  yet  I  wonder  whether 
Francis,  almost  my  earliest  preceptor  in  salmon  fishing 
(actually  the  earliest  was  the  butler  of  a  neighbour  in  Galloway) 
would  wholly  approve  of  my  undertaking  to  edit  his  book, 
seeing  that  I  have  so  fallen  away  from  grace  as  to  be  numbered 
among  those  infidels  whom  he  lashes  (with  more  sound,  I  am 
convinced,  than  fury)  in  the  opening  paragraphs  of  Chapter  X. 

**  There  are  many  persons,"  runs  the  anathema,  "  who  hold  that 
half  a  dozen  flies  are  enough  to  kill  salmon  on  any  river  in  th^ 
kingdom,  and  who  will  despise  the  notion  of  such  an  extended  list 
of  flies  [as  the  author  was  about  to  describe] .  To  such  irreverend 
scoffers  and  heretical  unbelievers  I  have  nothing  to  say.  Let  them 
indulge  in  their  repertoire  of  a  bit  of  old  Turkey  carpet  and  a  live 
barn-door  rooster.  They  are,  to  the  artists  who  attain  eminence 
in  the  delightful  occupation  I  have  endeavoured  to  illustrate,  what 
the  chalker  of  pavements  is  to  a  Landseer.  Equally  well,  no  doubt, 
would  they  land  a  salmon  if  they  hooked  him  with  a  clothes  prop, 
a  jack  line  and  a  meat  hook  "  (p.  249). 

I  suspect  that  when  he  penned  this  fiery  passage  Francis 
had  his  tongue  in  his  cheek.  He  was  far  too  close  an  observer 
— far  too  good  a  naturahst — far  too  experienced  an  angler — 
really  to  believe  that  it  made  a  ha'porth  of  difference  in  the 
chances  of  raising  a  salmon  whether  the  body  of  the  fly  was 
clad  in  crimson  silk  or  azure  wool ;  whether  the  wings  were 
wrought  out  of  the  sober  plumage  of  a  brown  turkey  or  from 
the  radiant  feathers  of  half  a  dozen  tropical  birds ;  whether 
the  tinsel,  an  opaque  substance  passing  between  the  overhead 
hght  and  the  fish's  eye  were  silver  or  gold  ;  whether,  in  short, 
supposing  the  angler  to  have  put  up  a  fly  (we  call  them  flies  for 
convenience,  but  birds,  bats,  or  battle-axes  would  be  equally 
appropriate  terms  of  similitude) — supposing,  I  say,  the  fly 
selected  be  neither  too  large  to  scare  the  salmon  nor  too  small 
to  attract  its  attention,  it  is  possible  to  divine  what  particular 
colour  may  suit  the  fancy  of  a  fish  newly  arrived  from  the  sea. 

I  have  killed  salmon  with  the  fly  in  thirty-one  different 
rivers  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Norway,  and  have 
never  been  able  to  detect  preference  on  the  part  of  the  fish 
for  any  particular  colour  or  shade  of  light  and  dark. 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  vu 

Tom  Todd  Stoddart,  than  whom  no  amateur  ever  devoted 
more  time  and  attention  to  sahnon  fishing,  tells  how  "  a 
well-known  landed  proprietor  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  the 
possessor  on  both  sides  of  a  noted  salmon  river,"  never  used 
any  flies  except  those  dressed  entirely  of  white  material ; 
"  and  although  occasionally  competed  with  by  one  of  the 
ablest  craftsmen  in  the  district  .  .  .  who  actually  took 
pleasure  in  using  flies  of  the  opposite  colour  [black],  managed 
generally  to  bear  off  the  palm." 

The  late  Lord  Percy,  a  keen  and  accompUshed  salmon 
fisher,  once  told  me  that  it  did  not  much  matter  what  fly 
one  used  in  the  North  Tyne,  provided  it  was  not  a  Blue 
Doctor,  at  which  the  fish  would  never  look.  I  turned  up  my 
old  fishing  book,  in  which  there  was  fixed  a  fly  of  that  very 
pattern,  and  written  under  it — "  Seven  salmon  in  North  Tyne. 
Tied  by  the  porter  at  Reedsmouth  Station."  These  fish  had 
been  killed  in  the  same  stretch  of  water  that  Lord  Percy 
used  to  fish,  namely,  the  Hargroves  beat,  just  below  Reeds- 
mouth. 

As  it  is  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference  to  me  what  fly  I  fish 
with  for  salmon,  always  provided  that  it  is  of  the  size  that 
seems  suitable  for  the  water  and  the  season,  when  I  am  fishing 
a  river  with  which  I  am  not  acquainted  I  usually  put  up,  for 
the  sake  of  harmony,  whatever  the  gillie  or  boatman  pre- 
scribes. But  whereas  these  local  experts  are  sometimes  very 
dogmatic,  desiring  the  angler,  after  one  fly  has  been  tried  with- 
out success,  to  change  it  for  another,  my  patience  is  not  always 
equal  to  the  occasion.  Tweed  boatmen  are  apt  to  be  specially 
exacting  in  this  respect,  probably  because  there  is  no  salmon 
river  to  which  so  many  inexperienced  fishers  come  as  to  that 
classic  stream.  I  was  fishing  the  Bemersyde  water  some  years 
ago  ;  my  attendant  was  even  more  tyrannical  than  the  average 
of  local  experts,  perpetually  prescribing  a  change  of  fly  and 
specially  insisting  upon  a  Silver  Wilkinson  (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  3), 
which  at  that  time  was  the  fashionable  fly  on  Tweedside.  I 
became  so  bored  by  his  insistence  that,  before  returning 
to  that  water  in  the  following  year,  I  devised  a  fly  quite 
different  from  the  everlasting  Wilkinson,  and  determined  to 
fish  with  no  other.  Without  consulting  the.  boatman,  I  put  up 
the  new  fly,  a  fiery  creature  with  a  body  all  gold  tinsel  and  a 
magenta  beard.* 

♦  The  latest  edition  of  the  Wilkinson  has  been  toned  down  by  adding  a 
sky-blue  hackle  over  the  flaring  magenta. 


viii  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

"  What  fly's  that  ye  have  on  ?  "  asked  the  tyrant.  "  I  never 
seen  the  Hke  o'  that  used  here." 

"  Oh,  well !  ''  I  replied  with  all  the  nonchalance  I  could 
assume,  "  it  is  a  fancy  of  my  own  I  want  to  try." 

"  I  don't  think  it's  the  proper  fly  at  all  for  this  water," 
rejoined  the  other.  "  Have  ye  not  got  a  Wulkinson  in  your 
box  ?  " 

It  required  all  my  stock  of  resolution  to  persist ;  but  I  did. 
We  crossed  the  river,  and  set  to  work  under  the  hanging  wood 
on  the  west  side  of  the  famous  Haly  Wiel.  Not  a  fin  stirred 
till  after  two  o'clock  ;  but  we  were  pretty  busy  that  afternoon. 
The  new  fly  accounted  for  seven  fish  from  eight  rises — 22  lb., 
22  lb.,  20  lb.,  18  lb.,  16  lb.,  16  lb.,  and  8  lb.  I  have  used  it  on 
many  other  rivers  since  that  day,  and  found  it  just  as  good  as 
any  other  pattern — and  no  better  !  In  justice,  however,  to  the 
memory  of  Francis  and  to  those  who  hold  a  contrary  opinion 
to  mine  on  the  subject  of  salmon  flies,  I  must  tell  what  hap- 
pened a  few  days  later  in  the  same  water.  On  this  occasion  the 
Haly  Wiel  fell  to  the  lot  of  a  brother  angler ;  my  beat  being 
the  far  less  productive  one  immediately  above,  named  Crom- 
wiel.  Here  I  killed  two  fish  in  the  forenoon,  26  lb.  and  16  lb., 
and  then  went  down  to  eat  a  sandwich  with  my  friend  below. 
Cromwiel  having  done  so  handsomely,  I  made  sure  that  he 
must  have  had  much  pulhng  in  the  Haly  Wiel.  To  my  surprise 
he  had  not  moved  a  fish.  I  asked  what  fly  he  had  been  using. 
He  showed  me  a  small  Silver  Grey.  "  Wrong  metal,"  said  I, 
*'  try  that  one  "  ;  and  I  gave  him  one  of  my  golden  fancy  of 
the  same  size.  I  then  started  back  for  Cromwiel ;  but  had  not 
gone  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  when  I  heard  a  view-halloo, 
and,  looking  back,  saw  my  friend  fast  in  a  fish.  He  landed  it 
and  one  other  that  afternoon,  while  I  moved  nothing  more  in 
Cromwiel.  Certainly  the  change  of  my  friend's  fly  seemed  to 
indicate  the  superior  attraction  of  crimson  and  gold  over  grey 
and  silver  on  that  particular  afternoon  ;  and,  although  the 
incident  leaves  me  cold,  it  did  much  to  establish  the  reputation 
of  my  fly,  which  was  christened  the  "  Sir  Herbert  "  after  its 
creator.* 

*  Although,  alas  !  Francis  had  made  his  last  cast  long  before  the  genesis  of 
this  fly,  I  have  ventured  to  give  its  likeness  in  Plate  XVI,  Fig.  2.  It  is  dressed 
thus  :  Tag  and  body  all  in  one,  gold  tinsel  ribbed  with  gold  twist,  orange  hackle 
over  ;  tail,  a  topping.  Three  turns  of  scarlet  mohair,  picked  out,  next  the 
\ving,  crimson  hackle  at  shoulder.  Wing  two  sHps  of  dark  turkey  with  white 
tips  over  two  tippet  feathers  ;  blue  chatterer  cheeks  or  kingfisher,  red  macaw 
horns,  black  chenille  head. 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  ix 

Howbeit,  despite  my  incredulity  about  what  is  not  demon- 
strable, I  admit  that  I  am  not  insensible  to  the  charm  of  a 
varied  assortment  of  salmon  flies.  I  find  it  noted  in  my  fishing 
book  that  on  15th  October,  1870,  I  was  fully  under  the  spell  of 
Francis's  precepts  about  a  change  of  fly.  Fishing  just  above 
high  tide  mark  in  the  Water  of  Luce,  I  raised  a  small  fish  five 
times  without  touching  him,  changed  the  fly  every  time  and 
killed  him,  seven  pounds,  at  the  sixth  rise.  I  cannpt  think  that 
the  result  would  have  been  any  different  had  I  made  no  change, 
which  is  the  course  I  should  follow  now  in  the  unromantic  light 
of  experience. 

In  one  other  matter  I  venture  to  express  dissent  from 
Francis's  doctrine,  namely,  his  belief  that  salmon  feed,  in  the 
sense  of  taking  nourishment,  during  their  sojourn  in  fresh 
water.  Here,  again,  demonstration  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
available  evidence  being  mostly  of  the  negative  kind. 

"  Salmon,"  says  the  author,"  do  not  perhaps  feed  very  voraciously, 
because  in  salmon  rivers,  as  a  general  rule,  food,  and  particularly 
in  the  heavy  waters  salmon  inhabit,  is  not  very  abundant,  and  the 
salmon  is  not  given  to  roaming  about  far  from  home  in  search  of 
food ;  but  I  very  much  question  if  anything  passes  his  lair  within 
eye-shot,  which  is  at  all  worth  his  notice,  that  he  does  not  take 
stock  or  toll  of  "  (p.  245). 

To  the  concluding  sentence  of  this  passage  I  may  reply  by 
describing  what  I  have  witnessed  in  the  Linn  of  Glencaird, 
below  a  fall,  or  foss  as  it  would  be  termed  in  Norway,  on  the 
river  Minnick.  The  water  of  this  httle  river  is  crystal  clear, 
enabling  one,  except  when  it  is  in  spate,  to  watch  the  movement 
of  fish  as  plainly  as  in  any  chalk  stream  ;  the  said  linn  is  a 
long  deep  pool  with  precipitous  rocky  sides.  Lying  on  the  top 
of  these  rocks  I  have  watched  salmon  in  the  depths  below, 
sometimes  resting  almost  motionless,  sometimes  swimming 
leisurely  around,  from  time  to  time  one  flinging  itself  out  of 
the  water  for  no  apparent  cause.  Besides  the  salmon  a  few 
small  trout,  five  or  six  inches  long,  are  poised  near  the  surface, 
quite  fearless  of  the  great  fish  below  them,  snapping  at  every 
fly  that  floats  within  reach.  I  have  never  seen  a  salmon  pay 
any  heed  to  these  little  fellows.  Very  different  would  have 
been  their  expectation  of  life  had  the  large  fish  been  pike 
instead  of  salmon. 

Even  those  gillies  and  water-bailiffs  who  are  sensible  enough 
to  perceive  that  the  salmon  rivers  of  Norway  and  Northern 


X  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

Britain  afford  no  supplies  adequate  for  the  sustenance  of  a 
lusty  fresh-run  salmon — even  they  are  slow  to  acquit  kelt 
salmon  of  preying  upon  trout  and  even  upon  young  of  their 
own  kind.  A  kelt's  appearance  condemns  him  ;  he  looks  so 
hungry  that  one  thinks  he  must  be  after  prey.  Perhaps  in  the 
interest  of  science  you  kill  a  kelt  which  you  have  landed,  cut 
it  open  and  show  your  gillie  that  the  stomach  is  empty.  He 
may  say — it  has  often  been  said — that  the  fish  when  hooked 
has  the  power  of  ejecting  the  contents  of  its  stomach.  Wait  a 
minute.  If  this  fish  has  been  taking  food  within  the  preceding 
four-and-twenty  hours,  there  will  be  remains  of  it  in  the 
intestine.  The  intestine  is  void  also.  If  your  skill  in  dissection 
serves  you,  it  may  be  possible  to  convince  your  gillie,  not  only 
that  the  intestine  is  empty,  but  that  it  is  actually  closed,  so 
that  for  an  indefinite  period  previous  to  the  capture  of  that 
kelt  no  food  can  have  passed  that  way. 

This,  however,  is  no  fitting  place  for  airing  at  length  the 
views  I  entertain  on  the  problem  ;  but  whereas  it  is  a  perennial 
subject  of  argument  among  anglers,  I  venture  to  suggest  two 
considerations  to  be  taken  into  account  by  those  who  feel  an 
interest  in  the  matter.  First,  let  them  study  the  report  by  the 
German  ichthyologist.  Dr.  Mieschen  Russ,  on  the  post-mortem 
examination  of  several  hundreds  of  Rhine  salmon — clean-run 
and  kelts.  He  examined  minutely  the  digestive  tract  of  these 
fish  ;  he  found  the  stomachs  of  all  of  them  to  be  empty,  but 
in  two  instances  he  detected  traces  in  the  intestine  of  the 
scales  of  some  smaU  cyprinoid  fish.  Second,  that  if  it  be 
admitted,  as  surely  it  must,  that  the  supply  of  food  in  a 
Highland  river  is  wholly  inadequate  for  the  support  even 
of  the  very  hmited  number  of  salmon  which,  in  these  days  of 
drastic  netting,  find  their  way  into  it,  what  must  have  been 
the  case  in  primitive  times  when  salmon  were  free  to  enter  our 
rivers  in  dense  shoals  such  as  swarm  up  the  rivers  of  the 
Pacific  coast  of  North  America  ?  although  even  there  the  stock 
is  being  steadily  depleted  by  the  machinery  used  at  canning 
stations. 

I  should  have  expected  Francis,  who  knew  the  Thurso,  to 
have  described  a  method  of  fly-fishing  for  salmon  that  I  learnt 
many  years  ago  on  that  river,  which  contains  long  reaches  of 
sluggish  water.  To  practise  it,  instead  of  beginning  to  cast  at 
the  head  of  a  pool  and  working  down,  the  angler  begins  at  the 
tail  of  the  pool,  casting  across  and  working  the  fly  round  in 
the  usual  way  with  as  long  a  line  as  he  can  rightly  command. 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION  xi 

After  every  cast,  just  as  the  fly  falls  on  the  water,  he  takes  a 
couple  of  paces  backwards — that  is,  in  the  direction  of  the 
head  of  the  pool,  and  so  continues  till  he  reaches  the  top.  This 
plan  is  the  easiest  way  to  fish  a  stretch  of  dead  water,  for  the 
backward  paces  after  the  cast  straighten  out  the  bag  in  the  Hne. 
Moreover,  even  in  a  brisk  stream,  a  salmon  will  often  move  to  a 
fly  brought  up  from  behind  him,  which  he  has  refused  to 
notice  when  shown  him  in  the  ordinary  way.  Times  without 
number  has  this  happened  in  my  experience.  The  most 
memorable  instance  of  it  was  on  26th  February,  1900.  I  began 
fishing  Kilfedder  stream  on  the  Helmsdale  from  the  top,  water 
very  high,  but  in  fine  colour.  I  touched  three  fish  going  down, 
but  none  of  them  took  hold.  Arrived  at  the  tail  of  the  pool  I 
began  backing  up  ;  before  reaching  the  head  of  it  I  landed  five 
clean  fish.  I  then  fished  down  the  whole  of  No.  i  beat  without 
seeing  anything.  The  lowest  cast  on  that  beat  is  called  the 
Flat  Pool.  I  fished  it  down  without  moving  anything  ;  turned 
and  backed  it  up,  and  had  five  more  springers  by  the  time  I 
reached  the  top.  It  was  now  getting  dusk  ;  there  was  no  more 
than  time  for  a  cast  over  the  head  of  Salzcraggie,  where,  fishing 
down  this  time,  I  landed  another  salmon,  the  eleventh  in 
eleven  consecutive  rises.  One  advantage  of  this  mode  of 
fishing  a  pool  is  that,  whereas  it  is  easier  to  guide  a  salmon 
down-stream  than  to  lead  him  up  against  the  current,  there  is 
less  chance  when  playing  him  of  disturbing  water  over  which 
the  fly  has  not  yet  passed. 

Since  Francis  fished,  observed  and  wrote,  considerable 
advance  has  been  achieved  in  our  knowledge  of  the  life- 
history  of  the  salmon.  The  systematic  marking  of  both  clean 
fish  and  kelts,  undertaken  and  maintained  through  a  long 
series  of  years,  first,  by  the  late  Mr.  Walter  Archer,  and 
subsequently  by  Mr.  W.  L.  Calderwood,  who  succeeded  him  as 
Inspector  of  Salmon  Fisheries  under  the  Fishery  Board  for 
Scotland,  has  elucidated  much  that  was  previously  obscure  in 
the  seasonal  movements  and  rate  of  growth  of  salmon  and  has 
dissipated  many  errors  that  prevailed  on  the  subject.  Most 
notable  and  unexpected  has  been  the  light  thrown  upon  the 
period  between  the  first  descent  of  the  smolt  or  yoimg  salmon 
to  the  sea  and  the  fish's  first  return  to  fresh  water.  It  used  to  be 
generally  assumed  that  all  salmon  made  their  first  appearance 
in  the  rivers  in  the  form  of  grilse.  But  this  was  conclusively 
disproved  by  the  operations  conducted  by  Mr.  Calderwood  and 
Mr.  P.  D.  Malloch  in  the  Tay.    In  the  spring  of  1905  a  very 


xii  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

large  number  of  smolts  were  netted  on  their  way  to  the  sea, 
and  each  was  marked  with  a  piece  of  silver  wire  fixed  through 
the  fore  part  of  the  dorsal  fin.  These  smolts  had  been  hatched 
in  the  early  months  of  1903  ;  three  of  them  were  recaptured  in 
June,  1906  weighing  from  3  lb.  to  4f  lb.  ;  twelve  were  taken  in 
July,  weighing  from  3^  lb.  to  7J  lb.  ;  twenty-seven  were  taken 
in  August,  weighing  from  5  lb  to  io|  lb.  No  more  of  the  fish 
marked  as  smolts  were  recorded  as  taken  until  the  nets  went  on 
again  in  February,  1907,  in  which  month  five  marked  fish  were 
taken  weighing  from  7J  lb.  to  9  lb.  These,  besides  fourteen 
others  taken  in  March  and  April,  were  part  of  the  run  of  small 
salmon  so  well  known  to  anglers  and  net  fishers  as  spring  fish. 
In  that  year  fifty-seven  salmon  were  taken  with  the  tell-tale 
silver  wire  in  their  fins,  all  except  two  being  landed  from  the 
nets  before  they  were  taken  off  on  20th  August.  The  heaviest 
of  these  fish  weighed  19  lb.,  the  total  weight  of  the  fifty-seven 
salmon  being  741 J  lb.  From  this  it  is  clear  that  the  only 
difference  between  a  grilse  and  a  salmon  is  that  the  grilse 
returns  to  the  river  after  a  sojourn  of  from  thirteen  to  six- 
teen months  in  the  sea,  while  others  of  the  species  hatched 
from  ova  deposited  in  the  same  season  defer  their  return  to 
fresh  water  until  the  second,  third,  and  even  fourth  year  after 
going  to  the  sea. 

So  the  old  Scots  gilHe's  definition  of  a  grilse  was  not  wide  of 
the  mark.  He  was  asked  how  he  could  tell  a  salmon  from  a 
grilse,  a  test  which  has  puzzled  many  an  angler. 

"  Oh  it's  easy  kent,"  he  rephed.  "  The  same  as  ye  can  tell 
an  auld  wife  frae  a  lassie." 

Most  of  the  salmon  flies  chosen  for  illustration  by  Mr. 
Francis  have  been  reproduced  in  the  present  edition  from 
examples  dressed  by  Mr.  Forrest,  who  presides  over  the 
London  branch  of  the  house  which  has  been  so  long  famous 
in  Kelso.  But  whereas  fashion  in  salmon  flies  is  as  fickle  as 
in  feminine  attire,  I  have  asked  Mr.  Forrest  to  give  two  or 
three  examples  of  those  which  have  found  favour  with  anglers 
since  Mr.  Francis  passed  away. 

I  have  to  thank  Mr.  J.  Arthur  Hutton  and  Mr.  P.  D.  Mallock 
for  the  photographs  of  river  scenery. 

HERBERT  MAXWELL. 

MONREITH, 

March^  1920. 


PREFACE 

TO 

THE    FIRST    EDITION 

WHEN  first  infected  with  the  fever  of  Angling, 
more  years  ago  than  I  care  to  count  up,  my 
ambition  was  to  catch  every  species  of  freshwater 
fish,  from  the  minnow  up  to  the  salmon,  which 
inhabits  our  British  waters.  That  satisfied,  my  next  desire 
was  to  write  a  work,  which  should  contain  within  one  volume 
(as  far  as  might  be  possible)  the  fullest  and  most  varied 
information  upon  angling  generally,  in  each  branch  of  the  art 
which  had  ever  been  published ;  and  with  this  resolve  I  com- 
menced collecting  the  matter  for  the  present  work  nearly 
twenty  years  ago.  Taken  up  and  laid  aside  from  time  to  time, 
little  by  Uttle  it  has  steadily  progressed  towards  completion. 
In  the  course  of  that  period  of  time  I  have  taken  occasion  to 
visit  and  to  fish  nearly  every  river  of  note  in  the  kingdom  ;  my 
connection  with  The  Field  affording  me  pecuUar  facihties  for 
obtaining  permission  to  fish  very  many  waters  which  are 
closely  locked  against  the  general  public  ;  and  I  have  roamed 
England,  Scotland,  Wales,  and  Ireland  over  to  gather  fresh 
knowledge,  and  to  put  it  into  a  practical -and  concentrated 
form  for  the  use  of  my  readers. 

A  modern  work  on  general  Angling  has  long  been  much 
needed.  We  have  works  upon  fly-fishing,  and  excellent  ones 
too  ;  we  have  good  works  upon  spinning  and  trolling  ;  we  have 
few  modern  works  upon  bottom-fishing  at  large  ;  and  we  have 
no  modern  book  upon  all  of  these  styles  combined,  since  the 
last  book  of  any  note  of  that  sort,  which  is  "  Ephemera's '* 
Handbook,  was  published  twenty  years  ago,  and  angling  has 
made  great  strides  in  the  last  twenty  years. 

One  thing  the  student  may  rely  on,  viz.  all  that  is  set  down 
here  is  the  result  of  carefully  conned  experience,  often  proved. 
I  have  not  entered  the  realms  of  fancy,  and  I  have  not  borrowed 


xiv  A  BOOK    ON  ANGLING 

the  experience  of  others  as  though  it  were  of  my  own,  and  of 
my  own  origination.  I  have  endeavoured  to  borrow  as  httle 
as  possible  :  and  where  I  have  been  obhged  to  borrow,  I  have 
striven  to  make  the  fullest  acknowledgment  of  my  indebted- 
ness, and  to  do  that  justice  to  others  which  I  hope  to  have  done 
to  myself.  The  branch  in  which  I  have  been  the  most  com- 
pelled to  borrow  is  in  the  trout  flies.  The  reason  of  this  is 
obvious,  as  the  flies  on  which  the  trout  feed  are  the  same 
to-day  that  they  were  500  years  ago.  Perhaps  to  Mr.  Ronalds' 
Fly-fisher's  Entomology  I  am  the  largest  debtor,  and  a  better 
authority  one  could  not  borrow  from,  since  it  is  by  far  the 
best  work  that  has  ever  been  written  on  the  subject.  But 
it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  even  Ronalds  borrowed  these 
flies  for  the  most  part  in  his  turn.  Let  the  reader  turn  to  the 
earhest  book  pubhshed  on  fly-fishing,  and  he  will  there  find 
described  by  Cotton  all  the  best  flies  taken  by  the  trout  in  the 
present  day,  and  which  have  been  more  or  less  reproduced  and 
described  by  every  subsequent  angling  writer  up  to  Ronalds. 
There  we  find  the  red-brown  (February  red),  the  blue  and 
yellow  duns,  the  house  fly,  the  green  drake,  the  hawthorn,  the 
black  gnat,  the  ant  fly,  the  whirHng  dun,  the  peacock,  the 
barm  fly,  and  other  flies  given  by  the  very  names  they  are  now 
known  by  :  while  most  of  the  remaining  flies  which  the  modem 
angler  uses  are  also  described,  though  under  other  names  ;  but 
they  can  easily  be  identified  by  the  method  of  dressing  laid 
down  for  each  of  them.  These  flies,  then,  are  again  reproduced 
in  Ronalds,  who  for  the  first  time  describes  and  classifies  them 
entomologically,  thus  rendering  to  the  fly-fisher  one  of  the 
greatest  boons  conferred  upon  the  art  since  Cotton's  day,  as 
the  angler  is  through  Ronalds  enabled  to  identify  each  fly  with 
nature,  and  to  study  its  habits  and  changes.  AH  that  I  have 
been  able  to  do  while  following  in  so  well-marked  and  beaten 
a  track — and  it  is  all  that  any  other  author  could  do — has  been 
to  make  such  suggestions  upon  the  dressing  of  the  various  flies 
as  may  render  them,  in  my  opinion,  better  imitations  of  nature 
than  have  yet  been  made  pubUc,  and  to  select  and  make  such 
suggestions  as  to  those  flies  which  are  the  greatest  favourites 
with  the  fish,  as  may  simplify  matters  to  the  beginner. 

In  inducting  the  tyro  into  the  mysteries  of  the  art,  I  have 
endeavoured  to  make  every  direction  and  information  as  clear 
and  practical  as  possible.  This  work  is  intended  to  be  a  useful 
and  not  merely  a  decorative  one  ;  thus,  the  plates  are  not  for 
the  sake  of  ornamentation,  but  for  direction,  and  as  an  aid  to 


PREFACE  XV 

the  student  of  tackle  making  and  fly  tying.  Each  illustration 
of  tackle  is  really  needed,  and  the  flies  shown  are  not  a  mere 
selection  of  gorgeous  and  pretty  subjects,  or  I  should  have 
chosen  very  differently  ;  but  each  fly  is  a  specimen  of  some 
separate  class  of  flies,  in  which  a  special  peculiarity  of  manu- 
facture is  evident. 

I  have  to  thank  many  kind  friends  for  assistance  in  lending 
tackle  and  flies  as  subjects  for  the  engravings,  and  also  for 
description,  as  will  be  found  in  the  body  of  the  work. 

I  have  given  much  time  to  this  book,  but  I  have  given  it 
willingly,  for  it  was  in  deed  and  in  truth  a  labour  of  love. 
Whether  the  angling  public,  to  whom  I  dedicate  it  (desiring  no 
more  potent  patron) ,  will  appreciate  my  labours  remains  to  be 
seen,  and  so,  without  further  apology — if  an  attempt  to  supply 
a  long-felt  and  obvious  want,  the  existence  of  which  few 
persons  have  been  in  a  position  to  know  and  feel  so  well  as 
myself,  be  thought  to  require  an  apology — into  their  hands  I 
commit  it. 

FRANCIS  FRANCIS. 

The  Firs,  1867. 


PREFACE 

TO 

THE    SECOND    EDITION 

IN  preparing  the  Second  Edition  of  this  work,  it  has  been 
my  endeavour  to  rectify  the  faults  and  omissions 
contained  in  the  First.  In  collecting  and  arranging 
material  coming  under  so  many  heads,  and  where 
similarity  of  method,  etc.,  often  runs  one  department  into 
another — and  especially  when  many  years  have  been  occupied 
in  the  preparation  of  the  work — the  difficulties  of  arrangement 
and  of  avoiding  confusion  are  much  greater  than  would  be 
supposed.  Whatever  oversights,  therefore,  may  have  occurred 
from  these  causes,  I  have  now  endeavoured  as  far  as  possible 
to  correct ;  and  I  have  also  added,  for  the  greater  convenience 
of  reference,  both  for  the  angler  and  fly  tyer,  an  index  of  the 
fullest  possible  nature,  and  I  trust  it  may  be  found  useful. 
I  have  further  added  between  thirty  and  forty  pages  to  the 
work  itself ;  having,  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  the  fly  list 
to  the  various  salmon  rivers  in  the  kingdom,  given  new  lists  of 
flies  for  no  less  than  ten  more  rivers  than  were  given  in  the 
First  Edition,  and  appended  additional  information  on  lake 
trout  flies,  general  tackle  making,  and  many  other  subjects 
which  appeared  to  me  to  be  capable  of  advantageous  expansion. 
I  have  now  but  to  convey  my  thanks  to  the  angling  public 
for  very  marked  favour  extended  to  the  First  Edition  of  this 
work,  which,  I  am  informed  (by  those  who  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  seUing  anghng  works  for  very  many  years),  sold  more 
rapidly  than  any  other  angling  book  produced  during  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century,  a  practical  compliment  which  authors  of 
all  kinds  very  fully  appreciate  ;  and  I  can  but  hope  that  the 
Second  Edition  may  be  found  even  more  worthy  of  favour 
than  the  First. 


FRANCIS  FRANCIS. 


August,  1867. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction  by  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  Bt,      .         .         .         v 
Preface  to  First  Edition   .......     xiii 

Preface  to  Second  Edition        ......     xvi 

CHAPTER  I 

BOTTOM    fishing 

The  Origin  of  Angling — Pond-Fishing — Punt-Fishing — The  Nor- 
folk Style— Bank-Fishing— The  Gudgeon— The  Pope— The 
Bleak— The  Roach— The  Rudd— The  Dace— The  Chub— The 
Barbel      ..........         i 

CHAPTER  II 

bottom-fishing — continued 

Nottingham  Angling — Casting  from  the  Reel — Daceing — Light 

Corking — ^The  Shder,  etc.  .  .  .  .  .  .42 

CHAPTER  III 

bottom-fishing — continued 

The  Bream— The  Carp— The  Tench— The  Eel— The  Perch— 
Paternostering,  etc 51 

CHAPTER  IV 
mid-water  fishing 


I 
I 


The  Pike — Spinning — ^Trolling  with  the  Dead  Gorge — Live  Bait- 
ing, etc 70 


CHAPTER  V 
artificial  fly-fishing 

Varieties  of  Trout — Instructions  as  to  Rods  and  Tackle — How 
to  use  them — Weather — How  to  Choose  FUes — Dress — Night- 
Fishing    99 


CHAPTER  VI 

ARTIFICIAL   FLIES 


Contrast  of  Systems — Copying  Nature  and  Copying  Nothing — 

List  of  Fies  for  each  Month        .         .         .         .         .         .134 


xvu 


xviii  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

CHAPTER  VII 

ON    LAKE-FISHING,    ETC. 

PAGE 

Lake-Fishing — Daping — ^The  Creeper — The  Beetle — ^The  Worm  .     184 

CHAPTER  VIII 

SPINNING   FOR   TROUT 

Spinning  for  Large  Trout — Spinning  for  Trout  in  Sniall  Streams 
—■The  Par-Tail— The  GrayUng 206 

CHAPTER  IX 

THE   SALMON 

The  Rod — ^The  Reel  and  Line-^How  to   use  them — Casting — 

Striking — Playing  a  Salmon — Sea  Trout  Fishing  .         .     226 

CHAPTER  X 

SALMON    FLIES 

List  of  Salmon  FUes — General  Fhes — List  of  Flies  for  Scotch 

Rivers      ..........     248 

CHAPTER  XI 

SALMON  FLIES— continued 
List  of  FUes  for  Irish  Rivers   .         .         .         .         .         .         .289 

CHAPTER  XII 

SALMON  FLIES — Continued 
List  of  FHes  for  Wales  and  England — List  of  Sea  TrOut  Fhes  .     311 

CHAPTER  XIII 

TACKLE   MAKING   AND    FLY   DRESSING 

On  making  Tackle,  Knotting,  etc. — How  to  Dress  the  Trout  Fly 

— ^The  Method  of  Dressing  the  Salmon  Fly  .         .         .         .324 

CHAPTER  XIV 

CONCLUSION 

On  Hooks — ^The  Bait  Table— Recipes  and  Notabilia  .         .341 

Index  ..........     361 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


2.  The  Jock  Scott 
4.  The  Lee  Blue. 
6.  The  Butcher. 


Frontispiece — 

I.  The  Popham. 
3.  The  Claret  Jay. 
5.  The  Dun  Wing. 

Landing  Nets,  etc. 

The  Slider  and  Other  Floats,  etc. 

Knots,  Hitches,  etc. 
IV.     Spinning  Flights,  Leads,  etc. 
V.     Spinning  Tackles  Baited 
VL     Live-bait  Tackles,  etc. 


PLATE 

L 

II. 
III. 


VII. 


XIV. 


TO  FACB  PAGE 
9 


49 
66 
76 
78 
93 


1.  Dry  Fly  Water  on  the  Test 

2.  A  White  Trout  Stream,  Ballinahinch 


VIII.     Natural  Trout  Flies  (colour)         .... 

IX.     Tackle  for  Minnow  Spinning,  etc. 

X.     Imitations  of  Grubs  and  Beetles  (colour)    . 

XI.     I.  "The  Shot,"  Floors  Castle  Water,  River  Tweed 
2.  Pitlochry  Head,  River  Tay      .... 

XII.     Birch  Grove.    A  Salmon  Cast  on  the  Wye 

XIII.     The  Right  Way  of  Giving  the  Butt    . 

Gaffing  a  Salmon  ...... 


121 

134 
211 
219 

227 
241 

243 
249 


(From  a  drawing  by  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  Bt.) 

XV.     Salmon  Flies  (colour)     .......     263 

I.  The  Beauly  Snow  Fly      2.  The  Black  Dog. 
3.  The  Purple  King. 

VI.     Salmon  Flies  (colour)     .......     265 

I.  The  Gordon  2.  The  Sir  Herbert. 

3.  The  Wilkinson.  4.  The  Mar  Lodge. 

XVII.     Salmon  Flies  (colour)     .......     269 

I.  The  Brown  Akroyd.     2.  The  Tartan. 
3.  The  Snow  Fly.  4.  The  Shannon. 


XX  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

PLATB  TO  FACE  PAGK 

XVIII.    Salmon  Flies  (colour) 275 

I.  The  Black  Ranger.  2.  The  Highlander. 

3.  The  Thunder  and  Lightning.    4.  The  Black  and  Teal 

XIX.     Salmon  Flies  (colour) 279 

I.  The  Blue  Doctor.  2.  The  Dusty  Miller. 

3.  The  Bittern.  4.  Francis'  Favourite. 

XX.     Alderon  Stream,  River  Tay 283 

XXI.  Trout  Fly  Dressing,  etc.      .         .         .         .         .         .326 

XXII.     Salmon  Fly  Dressing 331 

XXIII.  Francis'  Scale  of  Limerick  Hooks        .         .         .         -345 


A   BOOK   ON   ANGLING 


CHAPTER  I 

BOTTOM -FISHING 

The  Origin  of  Angling — Pond-Fishing — Punt-Fishing — The  Norfolk  Style — 
Bank-Fishing — The  Gudgeon — The  Pope — ^The  Bleak — The  Roach — 
The  Rudd— The  Dace— The  Chub — The  Barbel. 

THE  art  of  Angling  is  a  very  ancient  one,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  say  when  it  did  not  exist.  Indeed,  man 
might  even  have  taken  a  lesson  from  Nature  herself, 
and  doubtless  has  done  so.  For  the  Angler  or 
Fishing-frog  (Lophius  piscatorius)  has  for  its  necessities  as 
complete  a  rod,  line,  and  bait  appended  to  its  nose,  and  uses 
this  apparatus  with  as  much  skill  in  decoying  within  reach  of 
its  voracious  maw  the  unwary  fish,  which  are  deceived  by  the 
shining  appearance  of  the  filament  forming  the  bait,  as  the 
deftest  fly-fisher  employs  amongst  his  human  imitators.  The 
fishing  parties  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra  will  be  fresh  in  the 
memory  of  every  schoolboy,*  while  representations  of  fish  and 
fishing  have  been  found  upon  some  of  the  oldest  tombs  and 
most  venerable  remains  extant.  In  every  community  in 
savage  fife,  too,  are  found  instruments  of  anghng  ;  rude  enough, 
but  sufficiently  effective  for  the  wants  of  those  employing 
them  ;  showing  the  various  arts  used  in  fishing  to  have  been 
of  primitive  and  universal  invention. f 
It  is  not,  however,  our  purpose  to  give  a  retrospective 

*  The  story  of  Antony  employing  divers  to  fasten  fish  on  to  his  hook  is, 
no  doubt,  a  singular  specimen  of  angling.  But  the  Chinese  may  be  said  to 
practise  the  plan  habitually.  The  rocks  and  stones  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
on  the  Chinese  coast  are  covered  with  small  shell-fish.  Two  men  go  out  to 
fish  ;  one  holds  a  line  to  which  is  a  baited  hook ;  the  other,  a  diver,  takes 
the  hook  and  a  hammer  and  dives  to  the  bottom,  and  there  he  begins  crack- 
ing and  knocking  to  pieces  the  masses  of  shell-fish.  The  fish  draw  round  to 
feed.  The  diver  selects  his  fish,  and  literally  thrusts  the  hook  into  its  mouth, 
and  his  friend  above  pulls  it  up. — F.  F. 

t  ^lian,  writing  in  Greek  about  115  a.d.,  instructs  his  readers  in  fly 
fishing,  and  recommends  a  red  tackle. — Ed. 


2  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

history  of  angling.  Our  business  lies  with  the  present,  and 
with  a  very  brief  notice  we  shall  dismiss  the  past. 

One  of  the  first  treatises  in  the  English  language  on  angling 
is  that  of  Dame  Juliana  Berners,  or  Barnes,  in  the  Book  of 
St.  Albans.  It  is  entitled  The  Art  of  Fysshynge  with  an  Angle, 
and  was  pubhshed  in  1496.  There  were  other  authors  who 
added  to  the  stock  of  angling  literature,  but  the  next  one  of 
note  was  the  well-known  Izaak  Walton,  who  wrote  The  Con- 
templative Man's  Recreation,  and  first  published  it  in  1653,  and 
in  fifteen  years  it  ran  through  five  editions.  Since  then,  with 
the  additions  by  Cotton  and  Venables,  the  book  has  run  through 
an  extraordinary  number  of  editions.* 

From  that  time  down  to  the  present  the  number  of  writers 
upon  angling  matters  has  abounded  beyond  measure,  and  the 
Uterature  of  angUng  is  one  of  the  richest  branches  of  Hterature 
we  have.  As  the  writers  have  increased,  each  one  adding  his 
particular  notion  or  two  to  the  common  stock,  so  has  the  art 
progressed  towards  perfection,  and,  long  ere  this,  fish  would 
have  become  extinct,  but  that  nature  has  wisely  ordained  that, 
as  the  fishermen  become  learned  in  their  art,  the  fish  shall 
become  learned  also,  and  thus  hickory  and  horsehair,  gut  and 
steel,  are  robbed  of  a  portion  of  their  destructiveness  ;  and 
although  our  dear  old  friend  and  father  Izaak  no  doubt  would 
form  a  most  agreeable  fishing  companion,  we  question,  if  he 
revisited  the  scenes  of  his  former  exploits,  with  the  same  tackle 
he  used  then,  whether  he  would  not  find  rather  more  difficulty 
in  "  pleasuring  some  poor  body  "  with  the  contents  of  his  creel 
than  he  was  wont  to  do. 

The  art  of  anghng,  as  pursued  in  the  present  day,  must  be 
divided  into  three  branches — Bottom,  Mid-water,  and  Top  or 
Surface-fishing.  The  first  comprehends  bait  and  float-fishing  of 
every  kind ;  the  second  spinning,  trolling,  and  live-baiting, 
and  the  last,  daping  and  fishing  with  the  artificial  fly.  As  the 
first  has  by  far  the  greater  number  of  followers,  owing  to  the 
greater  facilities  offered  for  its  pursuit,  we  shall  commence 
with  that. 

Bottom-fishing  may  be  subdivided  into  still-water  and 
stream-fishing.  Still-water  is  usually  the  first  essay  of  the 
tyro,  and  with  that  we  shall  commence  our  instructions. 

*  Richard  Franck  (1624- 1708),  a  jealous  rival  of  Walton,  a  better  naturalist 
and  fly-fisher,  wrote  his  Northern  Memoirs  in  1658,  but  did  not  find  a  pub- 
lisher till  1694.  Those  who  can  put  up  with  absurdly  euphuistic  phrasing 
will  find  it  a  singularly  interesting  treatise  on  angling  for  salmon  and  trout. 
It  was  reprinted  in  1821,  with  an  introduction  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. — Ed. 


POND-FISHING  3 

Still-water  or  Pond-fishing  may  be  practised  under 
various  circumstances,  and  the  tackle  used  must  depend  upon 
the  fish  to  be  fished  for.  The  fish  which  usually  frequent  pools 
are  roach,  perch,  carp,  tench,  bream,  eels,  and  jack.  The 
tackle,  as  we  have  said,  must  depend  much  upon  circumstances  : 
such  as  whether  the  pond  be  shallow  or  deep,  clear  or  muddy, 
much  fished,  or  the  reverse,  and  also  upon  the  kind  of  fish  the 
angler  is  going  after.  If  he  be  not  particular,  as  few  young 
anglers  are,  we  recommend  to  him  a  bait  and  tackle  which  will 
take  all  pond  fish,  and  even  the  jack  himself  at  times. 

Let  him  employ  a  good  long  bamboo  rod,  not  beyond  his 
strength.  It  is  always  advantageous  to  have  a  reel,  as  big  fish 
are  capricious,  and  sometimes  will  prefer  the  clumsy  bait  of  the 
tyro  to  the  neat  and  trimly  impaled  worm  of  Mr.  Professor 
himself ;  a  gut  bottom  of  not  less  than  two  yards  ;  a  light 
cork  float  (Plate  II,  Fig.  2,  p.  49)  carrying  four  or  five  No.  i 
shot,  the  last  of  which  should  be  a  good  foot  from  the  hook ; 
his  hook  should  be  upon  rather  finer  gut  than  the  line,  and  the 
best  general  size  he  will  find  to  be  about  No.  6,  7,  or  8,  it  does 
not  matter  a  great  deal  which.  If  there  be  many  roach  in  the 
pond,  and  he  desires  to  take  them  chiefly,  perhaps  the  latter 
size.    If  carp,  tench,  and  perch,  then  the  former  is  best. 

Let  him  plumb  the  depth  accurately,  and  having  fixed  upon 
a  nice  spot,  near  weeds,  but  quite  clear  of  them  at  the  bottom, 
let  him  fix  his  float  so  that  the  bait  may  just  touch  the  bottom, 
not  swim  in  mid-water.  His  hook  should  then  be  baited  with 
a  well-scoured  red  worm,  and  having  thrown  in  a  dozen  or  so 
of  bits  of  broken  worm  round  about  the  spot  he  is  going  to  fish, 
let  him  drop  his  bait  in  softly,  and  having  stuck  a  forked  stick 
into  the  bank  for  his  rod  to  rest  on,*  let  him  lay  his  rod  down, 
and  keep  out  of  sight,  until  he  has  a  bite.  Pond-fish  always  bite 
slowly,  and  before  they  move  away  with  the  bait  give  ample 
time  to  the  angler  to  reach  his  rod  and  take  it  up. 

While  his  rod  is,  as  it  were,  fishing  for  itself,  he  will  do  well  to 
look  out  for  another  spot  near  his  own  ground,  to  which,  by 
casting  in  a  few  odd  broken  worms  or  gentles  from  time  to 
time,  he  can  allure  the  fish,  so  that  when  he  is  tired  of  his 
present  pitch,  he  can  go  to  another  already  baited.  Thus  he 
will  lose  no  time  in  his  fishing,  and  will  be  enabled,  by  working 

*  If  it  be  necessary  for  his  rod  to  extend  over  the  pond,  by  resting  the 
part  in  front  of  the  reel  on  the  fork,  and  by  pressing  the  part  behind  the 
reel  down  by  means  of  a  hooked  stick  forced  into  the  ground,  th^  rod  can 
be  kept  in  position  and  out  of  the  water  easily. — F.  F, 


4  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

from  spot  to  spot  like  this,  to  fish  over  a  good  deal  of  the 
ground  advantageously. 

The  above  is  the  best  general  plan  for  the  young  angler  to 
adopt.  If,  however,  he  intends  angling  for  any  particular  fish, 
he  will  find  the  method  of  doing  so  described  under  its  special 
head  in  another  part  of  this  chapter. 

In  Bottom-fishing  upon  streams  there  are  various  methods 
and  tackles  employed.  In  large  rivers  it  is  advisable  to  use  a 
boat  or  punt,  as  there  are  many  places  which  cannot  be 
reached  by  fishing  from  the  bank.  Of  punt-fishing,  however, 
we  shall  treat  hereafter.  At  present  we  shall  confine  ourselves 
simply  to  bottom-fishing  from  the  bank. 

The  first  point  the  angler  should  settle  is  the  choice  of  a  swim ; 
and  having  once  decided  upon  this,  and  properly  baited  it,  he 
should  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  quit  it  for  another.  He  must  select 
a  spot  where  there  is  the  best  appearance  of  fish.  He  may  see 
the  fish  sailing  about  at  the  bottom,  or  in  mid- water,  or  jump- 
ing about  on  the  surface — in  which  case  he  will  not  have  much 
difficulty  in  deciding  :  but  it  may  happen  that  the  water  is 
deep  and  quiet,  and  he  will  not  have  this  method  of  determin- 
ing upon  his  fishing  ground.  Let  him,  then,  if  not  too  lazy,  get 
up  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  take  a  walk  by  the  river- 
side ;  and  soon  after  daybreak,  when  all  is  yet  quiet,  he  will 
see  the  fish  begin  to  break  the  water,  and  roach,  dace,  barbel, 
bream,  and  other  fish  will  jump  about,  or  put  up  their  heads, 
as  if  to  see  what  sort  of  a  day  it  is  to  be.  Let  him  then  note 
where  these  rises  are  the  thickest,  and  choose  that  place.  The 
angler  can  do  the  same  thing  late  in  the  evening  ;  but  the  fish 
do  not  as  a  general  rule  move  nearly  so  freely  then  as  in  the 
morning. 

If  he  has  no  means  of  obtaining  this  information,  and  knows 
not  whom  to  a^k  which  are  the  recognised  swims,  let  him  walk 
along  the  banks  of  the  river  and  note  where  the  grass  is  well 
worn  by  the  long  dweUing  or  treading  of  muddy  feet ;  and  let 
him  look  out  for  traces  of  clay,  bran,  or  other  debris  of  ground- 
baits,  which  are  usually  sufficiently  visible  to  point  out  the 
desirable  spot.  If  none  of  these  serve,  then  he  must  rely  upon 
his  own  judgment,  choosing  a  swim  neither  too  deep  nor  too 
shallow  as  regards  the  water,  nor  too  swift  nor  sluggish  for  the 
stream.  The  neighbourhood  of  good  overhanging  banks  or 
large  bushes,  a  bank  of  weeds,  or  a  deep  hole,  to  form  harbours 
for  the  fish,  is  always  desirable.    The  ground  should  also  be|as 


BAITING  THE  SWIM  5 

level  and  free  from  obstructions  along  the  bottom  as  possible. 
Very  much  in  the  choice  of  a  swim  depends  on  the  fish  to  be 
angled  for.  Dace,  gudgeon,  and  barbel  like  rapid  and  moder- 
ately deep  water.  Roach,  perch,  and  bream  Uke  deeper  and 
quieter  water.  The  shape  of  the  bodies  of  the  fish  forms  a  very 
fair  criterion  to  judge  from  in  this  respect.  Deep,  flat-made 
fish  cannot  hold  the  rapid  streams  so  well  as  the  sharper  and 
more  rounded  ones,  though  good  roach-fishing  will  at  times  be 
had  in  pretty  heavy  water. 

The  angler,  having  decided  upon  his  pitch,  should,  if  he  can 
manage  it,  bait  it  freely  some  twenty  hours  before  he  intends 
to  fish — not  an  hour  less.  Many  a  day's  sport  is  spoilt  by  the 
swim  being  baited  the  very  night  before  the  angler  is  going  to 
fish  ;  and  when  he  comes,  on  the  next  morning,  some  ten  hours 
after,  the  chances  are  that  he  finds  the  fish  have  only  just  done 
feeding  upon  the  bait  he  threw  in  the  night  before.  The  fish 
are  then  full,  quite  indisposed  to  feed,  and  a  tame,  faint  bite  or 
two  alone  rewards  him.  To  coax  the  fish  on,  he  then  puts  in 
more  bait,  which  extinguishes  every  shadow  of  a  chance  he 
might  have  had  of  fish  on  that  day,  and  after  an  hour  or  two 
with  scarcely  any  sport,  he  goes  away  disgusted  with  his  loss 
of  time  and  absence  of  sport  and  waste  of  bait,  when  he  ought 
only  to  blame  his  own  lack  of  judgment.  Suppose  a  swim  well 
baited  at  nine  overnight,  that  swim  ought  not  to  be  fished  until 
the  fish  are  quite  hungry  again,  and  ready  to  feed,  which  will 
not  be  until  about  three  or  four  o'clock  on  the  ensuing  after- 
noon ;  and  when  the  fishing  is  commenced  a  very  few  scraps  of 
ground-bait  will  suffice  to  bring  the  fish  on  and  to  keep  them  on 
the  feed.  The  angler  should  reflect  that  his  object  is  not  merely 
to  gorge  the  fish,  but  to  keep  them  anxiously  expecting  food. 
On  the  Thames,  for  example,  more  ground-bait  is  often  wasted 
and  thrown  away  in  one  day  than,  judiciously  appHed,  would 
suffice  for  a  week's  sport. 

In  ground-baiting  a  pitch  overnight  the  method  depends 
upon  the  bait  to  be  employed.  If  gentles  are  to  be  employed, 
the  best  plan  is  to  enclose  them  in  a  ball  of  bran  and  clay  mixed 
up.  The  same  may  be  said  of  chopped  worms.  Greaves  or 
scratchings  should  be  scalded,  broken  small,  and  mixed  up  with 
clay,  or  not,  according  to  the  stream.  Bran  with  bread,  rice, 
boiled  wheat,  grains,  and  such  baits  are  best  worked  up  with 
the  clay  while  cheese  should  be  made  up  into  small  round  balls, 
not  larger  than  marbles.  But  for  the  baiting  while  fishing  it  is 
best  to  cast  the  worms,  etc.,  loose  without  any  clay,  merely 


6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

throwing  them  up  above  the  swim,  so  far  that  they  may  find 
ground  within  it ;  and  here  let  the  angler  be  very  sure  that  he 
does  this  accurately,  as  much  depends  upon  it,  for  it  is  useless 
to  fish  in  one  place  when  the  ground-bait  is  in  another.  Cheese 
may  also  be  so  used,  and  gentles  likewise,  if  the  stream  will 
admit  of  it,  not  otherwise.  Bread,  rice,  pearl-barley,  barley- 
meal,  etc.,  should  be  worked  up  into  very  small  balls,  about  the 
size  of  a  plum,  upon  a  small  stone,  or  with  such  other  matter 
as  shall  cause  them  to  hold  together  until  they  reach  the 
bottom.  If  it  be  desired  to  use  bran,  grains,  malt,  boiled  wheat, 
or  such  baits,  they  should,  if  the  stream  be  at  all  swift,  be 
worked  up  together  with  some  of  the  above  baits  in  order  to 
give  the  mass  sufficient  coherence  to  carry  it  unbroken  to  the 
bottom  ;  meal  will  serve  well  for  this  purpose  if  it  be  well 
kneaded.  On  the  Norfolk  rivers  a  barley-meal  bolus  is  the  bait 
for  roach,  and  boiled  barley  for  bream. 

The  aim  while  fishing  should  be  to  distribute  and  disperse 
the  bait  as  much  and  as  soon  as  possible,  that  many  may  get  a 
taste,  but  few  a  surfeit,  which  latter  they  easily  do  when  the 
large  adhesive  clay  balls  are  used. 

If  it  be  not  convenient  to  the  angler  to  bait  a  swim  overnight, 
he  will  do  well,  if  possible,  to  pursue  the  same  plan  as  is  recom- 
mended in  pond-fishing,  viz.  of  baiting  two  or  three  pitches, 
stopping  in  each  only  so  long  as  the  fish  continue  biting  ;  then 
casting  in  a  little  bait  and  going  on  to  the  next,  and  so  each 
again  in  turn,  and  thus  he  will  most  probably  get  the  most  sport 
possible  at  the  least  expenditure  of  time. 

The  pitch  having  been  properly  baited,  the  tackle  should  be 
suited  to  it.  The  float  should  be  proportioned  to  the  depth  and 
strength  of  the  stream,  and  should  be  also  so  weighted  as  to 
sail  steadily  along,  carrying  the  hook  just  touching  the  bottom 
without  the  float  being  sucked  under  by  the  whirl  of  the  stream, 
and  with  about  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  of  the 
quill  showing  above  water. 

To  ascertain  the  depth  of  the  water  and  suit  the  float  to  it,  a 
leaden  plummet  is  generally  used  by  Thames  fishermen,  though 
the  Nottingham  fishers  eschew  it  and  have  another  method  of 
ascertaining  the  depth,  which  I  shall  notice  in  the  proper  place. 
In  Plate  I,  Fig.  7,  page  9,  will  be  seen  cuts  of  two  plummets, 
one  of  rolled  sheet  and  the  other  of  solid  lead.  Unroll  the 
rolled  one  for  a  turn  or  two,  hook  the  hook  on  the  bottom  edge 
of  the  lead  and  roll  it  up  so  as  to  secure  the  hook  within,  or  put 
the  hook  through  the  ring  and  hook  it  ipto  a  piece  of  cork  fixed 


HOW  TO  STRIKE  7 

in  the  bottom  of  the  solid  one.  Then  having  set  the  float  at 
what  you  judge  to  be  about  the  depth,  drop  the  plummet  into 
the  water  to  the  bottom,  keeping  a  tight  line,  and  Uft  it  once  or 
twice  to  see  that  all  is  clear.  If  the  float  goes  under  water,  sUp  it 
up  the  line.  It  it  does  not  reach  the  water  but  is  above  it,  drop 
it  down,  and  so  on  until  it  is  adjusted,  so  that  the  hook  shall 
just  touch  the  bottom  while  about  an  inch  of  the  float  is  above 
the  surface.  Some  fish  require  the  bait  to  drag  a  little  more 
than  others,  and  for  them,  of  course,  a  longer  allowance  of 
depth  on  the  line  must  be  made.  Having  ascertained  the  depth, 
take  off  the  cap  of  the  float,  take  a  half-hitch  of  the  Une  on  the 
top  to  secure  it,  and  replace  the  cap,  which  should  fit  pretty 
tightly  to  prevent  any  sUpping  or  coming  off.  Then  bait  the 
hook,  drop  the  tackle  into  the  water,  and  let  it  go  with  the 
stream  ;  as  it  goes  down  follow  it  with  the  rod-point,  keeping 
the  point  always  as  directly  over  the  float  as  possible.  If  there 
be  no  disturbance  of  the  float  but  it  swims  serenely  on,  let  it  go 
on  to  the  point  which  you  have  marked  out  as  the  end  of  the 
stream,  or  as  far  as  the  time  allows  ;  and  before  withdrawing  it 
in  punt-fishing  always  strike  ;  for  fish  will  often  take  the  bait 
just  as  it  reaches  the  end  of  the  swim  as  it  begins  to  rise  from 
the  ground,  owing  to  the  tension  of  the  line  not  permitting  it 
to  go  further  wliile  the  stream  still  carries  it  on  ;  and  as  this  is  a 
sort  of  running  away  on  the  part  of  the  bait,  it  is  often  attractive 
to  fish  that  have  been  following  it ;  or  it  may  be  that  it 
comes  more  prominently  into  view.  However  that  may  be, 
always  strike  at  the  end  of  the  swim  pretty  sharply.  But 
should  the  float,  in  its  progress,  dip  suddenly  down  under 
surface  of  the  water,  strike  instantly.  In  punt-fishing  this 
should  be  done  from  the  elbow,  because  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
slack  fine  between  the  rod-point  and  float  to  be  tightened,  and 
there  is  a  long  angle  to  be  brought  into  a  straight  Une  before 
the  rod-point  can  be  brought  into  direct  action  on  the  hook, 
and  the  further  off  the  float  is  down  the  stream  the  more  acute 
this  angle  is,  and  the  more  power  is  required  to  reduce  things 
to  a  straight  line  again  between  the  rod-point  and  the  hook ; 
and  this  is  the  reason  why  it  is  necessary  to  strike  harder 
towards  the  end  of  the  swim  than  when  the  float  is  directly 
under  the  rod-point.  In  bank-fishing,  however,  there  is  no 
such  angle,  and  the  rod  is  always  over  the  float,  so  that  the 
sUghtest  jerk  of  the  wrist  sufiices  to  fix  the  hook  in  the  fish. 
If  the  float  only  dips  sUghtly,  strike ;  and  at  any  suspicious 
behaviour  on  the  part  of  the  float,  still  strike.    Different  fish 


8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

have  very  different  ways  of  biting,  and  even  the  same  fish 
seldom  bite  two  days  together  in  the  same  manner.  A  wee 
bleak  or  gudgeon  will  often  bob  the  float  down  almost  out  of 
sight,  so  that  a  novice  thinks  he  has  a  most  important  bite, 
while  a  two-pound  roach  will  often  barely  move  the  float  at  all ; 
sometimes  the  float  will  be  thrown  up  or  lifted,  sometimes  will 
sink  almost  gradually  as  if  the  hook  had  touched  the  bottom  ; 
and  when  this  is  the  style  of  biting  it  mostly  proceeds  from 
good  fish  well  on  the  feed.  I  like  to  see  it  as  it  nearly  always 
heralds  good  sport.  But  all  these  peculiarities  the  novice  must 
learn  from  long  experience,  for  no  book  can  teach  him.  The 
great  thing  to  aim  at  is  never  to  use  more  force  in  striking  than 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  fix  the  hook,  lest  damage  or  needless 
wear  of  tackle  and  hooks  be  the  result.  Having  hooked  a  fish,  if 
possible  coax  him  out  of  the  swim  that  he  may  not  disturb  the 
others,  and  play  him  at  your  leisure  in  the  nearest  vacant  space. 
Be  not  over  hasty  to  land  your  fish,  or  you  may  lose  him  ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  waste  no  time  over  him.  Experience 
again  alone  will  teach  what  strain  your  tackle  will  bear. 

In  landing  a  fish  you  may  lift  him  in  by  the  rod,  weigh  him 
in  by  the  Une,  or  handle  him  in  by  the  gills  or  tail,  or  use  a 
landing-net  to  him,  or  gaff  him.  The  first  method  you  only 
adopt  with  very  small  fish,  which  will  not  perhaps  strain  the 
rod.  The  second  you  employ  with  fish  that  are  doubtful  in  this 
respect.  Having  played  your  fish  until  it  is  nearly  conquered, 
take  hold  of  the  line,  draw  the  fish  gently  up  to  the  bank  or 
boat,  carefully  judge  the  length  to  see  all  clear  in  lifting  him  in, 
so  that  the  fish  may  not  come  in  contact  with  bank  or  boat  and 
so  be  knocked  off  or  induced  to  struggle  in  mid-air,  which  is 
almost  certain  loss ;  and  when  the  fish  is  for  the  moment 
supine,  Hft  him  steadily,  but  quickly  and  without  any  jerking, 
over  the  bank  or  boat  side  into  a  place  of  safety. 

HandHng  a  fish  in  is  more  often  resorted  to  when  the  net  or 
gaff  happens  to  be  left  at  home  by  accident,  and  is  usually 
employed  on  large  fish,  as  large  trout,  big  pike,  or  salmon  ;  for 
example  :  Bring  the  fish  up  to  the  side,  and  when  he  is  quiet 
slip  the  hand  behind  the  gulls  and  grip  the  fish  firmly,  lifting 
him  out  at  the  same  time.  Some  persons  put  the  finger  and 
thumb  into  the  eyeholes  of  the  pike,  and  hft  him  out  thus  ;  but 
they  should  remember  the  pike's  sensations.  Tailing  a  fish  out 
is  more  often  employed  on  salmon.  The  fish  is  brought  to  a 
shelving  bank  of  gravel,  gripped  suddenly,  but  cautiously  and 
firmly  by  the  root  of  the  tail,  and  run  up  over  the  gravel 


PLATE   I. 


'^u>   L 


FiM     1 


Landing  Nets,  Etc. 


LANDING  NET,  ETC.  9 

before  he  knows  where  he  is.*  And  now  a  word  on  landing 
nets. 

In  Plate  I,  Figs,  i  and  2,  page  9,  I  have  given  cuts  of  two 
nets  or  frames,  which  by  folding  or  compressing  can  be  packed 
up  and  carried  about  with  the  rods  or  in  cases.  In  punt-fishing, 
however,  a  circular  fixed  frame  is  all  that  is  required.  There 
are  various  methods  of  attaching  landing-nets  to  the  person,  so 
that  they  may  be  ready  to  the  angler's  hand  when  walking 
along  the  banks  of  a  stream,  and  yet  not  in  his  way  when 
fishing.  I  find  a  spring  hook  fixed  on  the  handle,  and  hung 
over  the  basket  strap  on  the  left-hand  side,  as  good  as  any  ; 
but  anglers  can  see  various  plans  at  the  tackle-makers  and 
select  for  themselves.  In  handling  a  landing-net,  some  little 
skill  is  requisite  :  the  netsman  should  never  dash  at  the  fish, 
but  sinking  it  in  the  water,  and  keeping  out  of  sight  as  well  as 
he  can,  wait  till  the  fish  is  brought  round,  and  then  moving  the 
net  softly,  till  the  fish  is  within  the  ring,  he  should  lift  him 
smartly  out. 

The  gaff  is  a  sharp-pointed  steel  hook  used  chiefly  for 
landing  salmon.  In  very  sharp  and  shallow  streams,  the 
landing  net  is  often  rather  unwieldy,  and  the  gaff  is  preferable. 
The  great  thing  in  using  the  gaff  is  to  keep  as  much  out  of  sight 
as  possible  :  wait  till  you  are  sure  of  your  mark,  extend  the 
gaff  beyond  the  fish,  and  then  strike  it  suddenly  in  drawing  at 
the  fish  and  weighing  him  up  at  the  same  time.f  But  to 
return. 

In  bank-fishing,  the  angler  should  never  be  without  a 
clearing  ring  (see  Plate  I,  Fig.  4,  p.  9),  or  his  remissness  may 
result  in  his  straining  his  line  or  losing  it.  He  will  do  well,  too, 
to  have  in  his  pocket  one  of  those  curved  hook  knives  which  are 
made  for  screwing  into  the  landing-handle.  He  may  thus  upon 
occasion  cut  a  weed  or  twig  to  which  his  tackle  may  be  hooked, 
and  which  otherwise  might  be  out  of  reach  and  might  necessi- 
tate a  breakage.  A  drag  with  a  coil  of  string  is  also  serviceable 
(see  Plate  I,  Fig.  5,  p.  9).  These  things  are  often  useful  and 
take  up  very  httle  room  in  carriage.  A  small  triangular  fold-up 
camp-stool  is  a  very  good  thing  too,  and  saves  many  an  angler 
from  incipient  rheumatism  ;  for  though  a  scrap  of  waterproof 

*  If  possible  wear  a  glove  for  this  delicate  operation.  It  gives  one  a  far 
firmer  grip. — Ed. 

t  In  gaffing  a  salmon  from  the  shore,  the  gafiE  should  invariably  be  laid 
over  the  fish,  and  drawn  firmly  home  without  jerk  or  violence.  In  landing  a 
salmon  from  a  boat,  the  gaft  may  be  laid  ttnder  the  fish  without  risk  of 
fouling  the  line. — Ed. 


10  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

will  keep  off  damp,  it  is  no  protection  from  cold.  This  stool 
also  goes  easily  with  the  rod,  and  weighs  but  a  trifle. 

In  bank-fishing  perfect  quietude  is  very  advisable  ;  and  if 
the  angler  desires  to  stamp  his  feet,  or  run  about,  or  indulge  in 
any  method  of  quickening  his  circulation,  it  is  very  advisable 
that  he  should  retire  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  from  the 
bank,  if  he  would  not  frighten  and  disturb  the  fish.  On  his 
first  approaching  the  water,  he  must  be  very  cauti6us,  as  the 
bare  sight  of  his  figure  suddenly  moving  about  on  the  bank  will 
often  serve  to  frighten  away  every  fish  within  several  yards ; 
although  after  a  time,  and  if  not  too  suddenly  disturbed  at 
first,  they  will  become  accustomed  to  and  endure  his  presence 
if  he  remains  still  and  quiet.  It  is  always  advisable  to  keep  as 
much  as  possible  out  of  sight,  if  you  desire  successful  fishing ; 
and  the  angler  should  bear  this  in  mind,  that  anything  which 
comes  between  the  water  and  the  sky  frightens  the  fish 
instantly  ;  whereas  if  there  is  a  high  bank,  a  tree,  a  plantation, 
or  what  not,  at  the  angler's  back,  provided  he  does  not  make 
too  violent  motion  as  as  to  attract  attention,  he  may  almost 
see  the  fish  swallow  the  bait.  When  on  the  bank,  too,  he 
should  remember  to  let  his  motions  be  as  little  lateral  as 
possible. 

Punt  or  boat-fishing  differs  little  from  bank-fishing,  as 
regards  the  means  employed,  and  much  of  what  has  been  set 
down  as  regards  baiting  will  also  apply  to  punt-fishing. 
A  favourite  pitch  is  sought  out,  and  the  punt  or  boat  is  usually 
moored  across  the  stream  by  means  of  heavy  poles,  shod  with 
sharp  irons,  being  thrust  into  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  the  head 
and  stern  of  the  punt  fastened  thereto.  Sometimes,  however, 
and  more  particularly  when  the  Nottingham  style  of  fishing  is 
employed,  the  punt  or  boat  is  not  moored  across  the  stream, 
but  is  moored  in  a  slanting  direction  at  an  angle  of  about  40° 
or  50°  with  the  direction  of  the  current.  The  boil  and  bubble 
created  by  the  obstruction  which  the  punt  causes  when  moored 
across  is  thus  nearly  avoided.  The  Nottingham  style  will  be 
explained  hereafter. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  Norfolk  style  of  fishing,  and  it  may  not 
be  out  of  place  here  to  say  a  few  words  about  it.  The  punt  on 
the  Norfolk  rivers,  instead  of  being  moored  across  the  stream 
as  in  the  Thames,  or  in  a  slanting  direction,  as  is  more  common 
when  "  traveller  "  fishing  in  the  Nottingham  style  is  practised, 
is  moored  up  and  down  in  a  line  with  the  current,  so  that  there 
is  httle  or  no  disturbance  of  the  water.   The  swims  are  usually 


BANK-FISHING  ii 

of  considerable  depth,  often  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  or 
more.  The  angler  employs  two  rods,  which  are  longer  than  the 
Thames  punt  rod,  sits  sideways,  and  fishes  over  the  side  : 
having  also  a  spare  rod  with  a  well  weighted  line  with  a  float, 
which  acts  as  a  dead  hne  beside  him,  while  fishing  with  the 
other  rod  in  the  usual  way.  The  fish  caught  are  chiefly  roach 
and  bream  ;  for  the  first,  barley-meal  is  the  ground-bait,  and 
for  the  second,  boiled  barley,  the  hook-baits  being  principally 
gentles  and  worms.  Large  takes  are  frequently  made,  and  it 
is  common  to  estimate  the  take  by  the  stone  weight. 

The  rods  used  in  bank  and  punt  bottom-fishing  with  the 
float,  differ  considerably.  In  punt-fishing  the  rod  should  be 
light  and  handy,  and  from  ten  to  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  in 
length.  If  longer  than  this,  the  constant  striking  through  a 
long  day's  fishing  tires  the  arm.  Still  it  is  always  advisable 
for  the  angler  to  use  as  long  a  rod  as  he  can  conveniently 
manage,  as  it  gives  him  not  only  a  longer  swim  but  more 
power  over  it.  Bamboo  cane  is  the  most  usual  material 
employed.  Punt  rods  of  solid  wood  are  often  rather  too  heavy, 
and  the  white  cane  too  hght  for  the  work.  Many  anglers,  how- 
ever, prefer  rods  made  of  solid  wood,  as  they  are  supposed  to 
stand  heavy  work  better,  though  I  have  not  found  that  they 
do  so.  The  best  rod  to  stand  work  I  ever  had,  was  a  single 
stick  of  bamboo  without  joint  or  ferrule  of  any  kind,  with 
merely  a  spliced  top  lashed  to  it  of  some  eighteen  inches  or  two 
feet  in  length.  I  have  used  this  rod  for  twenty  years,  and  it  is 
as  straight  as  ever  it  was.  For  solid  rods  hickory  is  the  best 
wood. 

For  bank-fishing  the  rod  should  be  longer  and  larger,  and  it 
is  seldom  the  custom  to  use  a  rod  of  less  than  fifteen  or  sixteen 
feet  in  length  :  while  on  the  Lea  and  elsewhere  fishermen  use 
rods  of  a  prodigious  and  unwieldy  length,  sometimes  up  to 
twenty- two  or  twenty- three  feet.  These,  of  course,  from  their 
great  length,  require  to  be  made  of  very  Hght  material,  and  the 
white  East  India  cane  is  most  commonly  employed.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  tackle  used  in  bank-fishing  is  lighter,  and  the 
point  of  the  rod  being  always  just  over  the  float,  and  usually 
scarcely  a  foot  or  so  from  it,  there  is  no  long  length  of  loose  line 
on  the  water  to  strike  up,  as  there  is  in  punt-fishing,  and  the 
strike,  therefore,  when  there  is  a  bite,  is,  as  I  have  said,  much 
lighter,  being  a  mere  twitch  ;  while  it  is  not  necessary,  as  in 
punt  fishing,  to  strike  at  the  end  of  every  swim.  The  wear  and 
tear,  therefore,  is  nothing  like  so  much  in  a  bank  as  in  a  punt 


12  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

rod,  and  a  lighter  material  can  be  employed.  It  is  astonishing 
what  a  difference  in  the  wear  and  tear  of  rod- tops  the  addition 
or  subtraction  of  a  dozen  or  so  of  shot  on  the  line  makes.  For 
example,  suppose  your  dozen  shot  weigh  only  the  eighth  of  an 
ounce.  Suppose  you  only  strike  sixty  times  in  an  hour,  which 
is  very  far  under  the  mark,  and  suppose  you  fish  a  good  day  of, 
say,  twelve  hours.  The  addition  or  subtraction  of  these  twelve 
shot  will  have  given  your  fragile  rod-top  eighty-four  ounces 
more  to  jerk  up  in  the  course  of  one  day.  It  will  be  seen,  then, 
that  this  point  of  meting  the  weight  of  your  tackle  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  requirements  of  the  stream  is  worthy  of  much 
consideration.  I  have  often  seen  roach  and  dace-fishers  fishing 
in  an  easy  stream  with  great  heavy  floats,  carrying  perhaps 
near  half  an  ounce  of  shot,  when  they  could  have  fished  it 
with  a  porcupine  quill.  The  consequence  is  that  the  extra  shot 
make  a  splash  at  every  strike,  and  they  are  so  thick  and  large 
that  the  fish  can  easily  discern  them  and  thus  they  alarm  one- 
half  and  all  the  best  of  their  fish.  I  like  upright  rings  to  all  my 
bottom  rods,  finding  them  safe  and  more  convenient  to  the  line. 
In  general  bottom-fishing  a  very  fine  gut  foot  fine  is  prefer- 
able to  single  horsehair.  By  means  of  passing  the  strand  of  gut 
through  a  machine  and  so  reducing  it,  tackle  makers  have  been 
enabled  to  bring  it  down  to  almost  any  fineness ;  far  finer, 
indeed,  than  horsehair.  This  is  called  drawn  gut,  but  if  the 
angler  can  obtain  the  gut  of  sufficient  fineness  in  its  natural 
state,  i.e.  without  being  drawn,  it  is  better  in  every  respect, 
being  much  stronger  and  infinitely  more  durable  ;  as  in 
drawing  it,  the  hard  outside  surface  which  protects  the  gut  is 
shaved  off,  and  nothing  but  the  central  and  pithy  part  is  left. 
Drawn  gut  can  easily  be  distinguished  from  natural  gut  at  the 
first  glance.  It  is  dull  in  colour  instead  of  bright  and  shining, 
and  when  in  the  coil  is  far  less  springy  and  hard  if  bent.  It 
soon  frays  away,  and  a  very  few  times  of  using  rots  it,  whereas 
a  really  good  sound  undrawn  gut  hne,  if  properly  used,  will  last 
for  months.  It  is  not  possible,  however,  always  to  get  really 
fine  undrawn  gut  lines  of  first  quality,  and  the  drawn  gut,  which 
can  be  had  of  any  fineness,  is  certainly  far  preferable  to  hair  in 
point  of  strength.  *  Many  roach-fishers,  however,  still  use  single 
hair.  Now,  hair  has  this  objection,  viz.  it  is  so  elastic  that 
whenever  you  strike  a  good  fish  the  line  will  spring  to  such  a 
degree  that  the  hook  often  fails  to  fix  itself  properly.  Added  to 
which,  from  its  lack  of  strength  and  liabihty  to  crack  at  knots, 
♦  See  note  on  page  233  about  modern  substitutes  for  gut. — Ed. 


LINES  AND  REELS  13 

many  good  fish,  hooks,  and  much  time  are  lost  both  in  playing 
the  fish  and  in  repairing  losses.  Still,  as  I  have  said,  many 
excellent  fishers  (for  roach  particularly)  do  employ  it,  and  it 
certainly  is  a  very  pretty  bit  of  sport  to  kill  a  roach  of  a  pound 
and  a  half  in  a  nice  eddy  with  a  single  hair.  Young  fishermen 
should  always  go  through  a  course  of  single-hair  fishing. 
Nothing  contributes  to  give  them  such  a  delicate  touch  and 
such  an  accurate  perception  of  the  exact  amount  of  strain  their 
rods  and  tackles  will  bear  as  fishing  with  single  hair.  And  no 
bottom-fisher  is  worth  tfie  name  who  cannot  [if  his  fish  he  well 
hooked  and  tackle  sound)  kill  a  two-pound  roach  in  a  sharp 
stream  with  a  single  hair.  Gut  should  be  stained  sHghtly  to 
suit  the  water,  and  a  very  pale  green  and  fight  amber  are  the 
only  colours  ever  required.  It  is  the  custom  to  stain  gut  of  a 
deep  ink  blue,  but  this  colour  is  far  more  discernible  in  the 
water  than  the  plain  undyed  gut  is.  Gut  is  of  two  sorts,  good 
and  bad.  Good  gut  can  be  easily  told  by  either  the  eye  or  the 
touch.  Good  gut  should  be  round,  clear,  bright,  hard,  even 
in  size,  and  almost  colourless.  Bad  gut  is  flat,  greasy,  dull, 
raffy,  or  rough  and  frayed,  uneven  in  size,  and  of  a  green 
tinge  ;  indeed  the  greener  it  is  the  worse  it  is.  This  is  the  gut 
that  is  chiefly  used  for  drawing  purposes.  Bad  gut  may  often 
be  had  for  a  little  money,  but  it  is  never  cheap  to  the  angler. 
When  not  using  it,  always  as  much  as  possible  keep  your  gut 
from  the  light,  for  damp  hardly  rots  it  sooner  than  sunUght. 

The  best  reels  for  bottom-fishing  are  the  plain  reels  with 
a  fight  check.  Do  not  have  a  multipHer  even  at  a  gift.  It 
is  an  abomination.*  In  using  hair  from  a  punt,  unless  you  hold 
the  line  loose  in  your  hand,  the  check  will  be  almost  too  much, 
and  a  plain  winch  is  preferable.  Your  winch  should  hold  forty 
or  fifty  yards  of  fine  line.  This  running  or  reel  line  should 
be  of  very  fine  dressed  silk  ;  undressed,  it  is  apt,  when  wet,  to 
cling  about  the  rod  and  rings,  and  it  also  rots  sooner.  (In 
the  Nottingham  style  undressed  fines  are  required.)  Never 
use  any  mixture  of  horsehair  in  your  reel  line,  as  it  is  so  apt  to 
knot  and  tangle  that  it  is  always  catching  in  something.  In 
using  the  long  cane  rods  mentioned  above,  the  Lea  fishers  do 
not  often  use  a  reel  or  running  line  at  all,  but  simply  fasten  their 
lines  to  the  eye  of  the  rod- top.  When  a  good  fish  is  hooked 
they  play  him  for  a  time  with  the  whole  rod,  which,  from  its 

*  The  author  might  be  of  a  different  opinion  now.  Multiplying  reels  of 
American  make  are  highly  praised  by  those  who  use  them,  and  are  reckoned 
indispensable  in  tarpon  fishing. — Ed. 


t4  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

length,  enables  them  to  follow  the  fish  and  keep  over  him 
almost  anywhere  he  may  choose  to  go.  As  he  becomes  more 
tractable  they  unscrew  and  drop  off  a  joint  or  two,  until, 
having  him  almost  supine,  half  the  rod  is  thus  dropped  and  the 
fish  is  led  in  by  a  small  Ught  rod  of  some  three  or  four  joints, 
and  of  very  manageable  dimensions. 

Of  floats  for  stream-fishing,  I  have  before  said  they  should 
be  suited  to  the  water.  I  may  now  say  that  there  are  several 
sorts,  but  I  never  use  but  two.  For  heavy  streams  cork 
floats  of  various  weights,  and  tapering  gradually  both  ways 
to  the  ends  (the  longest  taper  below),  and  for  light  streams 
a  porcupine  quill.  These  two  can  be  had  of  any  size,  to  take 
fifty  shot  or  five.  Floats  are  also  made  of  quills,  tapered  and 
fastened  up  in  lengths,  and  heavily  varnished,  and  also  of  reeds 
of  various  lengths,  etc.  ; ,  but  although  they  are  very  pretty 
to  look  at,  they  do  not  stand  enough  wear  and  tear  for  my 
money.    (For  floats  various,  see  Plate  II,  p.  49.) 

Hooks  are  of  many  sorts  and  sizes,  and  should  be  suited 
to  the  fish  to  be  angled  for.  The  best  size  for  ordinary  roach, 
dace,  and  barbel-fishing,  whether  from  the  bank  or  punt, 
is  that  which  will  carry  one  or  two  gentles  well,  and  that  is 
from  No.  7  to  10.  There  are  a  great  variety  of  hooks — the 
Limerick,  the  Kirby,  the  sneck  bend,  and  the  round  bend. 
The  first  is  sometimes  used  for  bottom-fishing,  but  more  often 
for  fly-fishing.  The  barb  is  so  rank,  however,  that  it  often 
takes  some  time  to  unhook  the  fish.  Of  the  other  patterns 
it  is  difficult  to  decide  which  is  the  best.  Tastes  vary  so 
much  that  they  all  have  their  supporters.  Some  Hke  the 
sneck  bend,  and  some  the  round  bend,  and  some  Hke  the 
old  Kirby — some  modifications  of  one  or  the  other.  I  generally 
use  a  hook  of  not  quite  a  round  bend,  but  with  the  point 
deflected  to  the  side  a  Httle  (not  too  much),  and  bent  inwards 
the  least  trifle  in  the  world  ;  and,  added  to  this,  I  do  not  hold 
with  the  shank  being  too  short.    It  is  a  great  fault. 

Having  now  given  an  account  of  general  bottom-fishing, 
I  shall  proceed  to  treat  of  the  various  fish  taken  by  this  means 
in  order,  with  the  plans  and  baits  employed  in  capturing 
them,  beginning  with  the  easiest  of  the  angler's  pursuits,  and 
so  working  my  way  through  all  grades  until  the  proud  position 
of  M.A.-ship,  or,  as  the  old  joke  has  it,  of  Senior  Angler  is 
reached. 


GUDGEON-FISHING  15 

THE  GUDGEON  (Gohio  fluviatilis.) 

The  gudgeon  is  gregarious,  and  swims  in  large  shoals.  It 
is  a  lively  little  fish,  and  a  very  sharp  biter,  and  when  the 
fish  are  feeding  well,  it  is  no  very  uncommon  thing  to  take 
from  five  to  six,  or  even  seven  dozen  in  one  pitch.  The  gudgeon 
spawns  on  the  gravel  in  shallows  and  rapids  in  May.  The  ova 
soon  hatch,  the  young  fry  grow  rapidly,  and  by  August  they 
have  usually  attained  the  length  of  an  inch.  A  gudgeon  of 
six  inches  is  a  good  size,  of  seven  of  unusual  size,  but  they 
seldom  attain  to  eight.  Gudgeon  bite  best  in  clear  water  and 
warm  weather  in  moderately  rapid  streams,  where  the  water 
ranges  from  eighteen  inches  to  three  feet  in  depth.  In  order 
to  attract  them  it  is  necessary  to  rake  up  the  gravel  so  as  to 
cause  a  thick  water.  The  gudgeon  immediately  flock  to  the 
spot  in  order  to  feed  upon  the  small  insects  and  worms  which 
are  thus  exposed.  For  this  purpose  a  heavy  iron  rake,  with  a 
long  handle,  is  used.  The  angler  then  fishes  over  the  raked 
spot,  his  bait  just  tripping  over  the  bottom.  A  light  cork 
float  and  a  No.  10  hook  are  advisable  :  the  gudgeon  feeds 
upon  gentles,  or  any  small  grubs,  and  worms  ;  but  nothing 
can  compare  in  point  of  attraction  to  a  small  fragment  of  red 
worm,  or,  as  it  is  called  on  the  Trent,  the  cockspur.  This 
they  keep  on  biting  at  until  hardly  a  scrap  is  left,  and  often 
ten  or  a  dozen  fish  may  be  taken  with  the  same  worm.  So 
bold  is  the  bite  that  the  float  plumps  down  under  water,  and 
the  fisherman  has  Httle  more  to  do  than  to  pull  up,  no  matter 
how,  to  catch  the  fish,  though  a  sharp  upward  stroke  of  the 
rod,  the  wrist  and  forearm  being  suddenly  jerked  up  to  produce 
it,  is  desirable.  The  elbow  should  be  kept  close  to  the  side, 
and  the  rod  held  hghtly  in  the  hand.  For  the  reason  that  the 
fish  require  so  little  skill  to  take  them,  gudgeon-fishing  has 
always  been  a  favourite  pursuit  with  the  fair  sex.  I  feel  that  I 
might  be  sarcastic  here,  and  draw  morals  of  divers  kinds. 
But  I  refrain,  for  I  have  enjoyed  many  a  day's  gudgeon- 
fishing  in  the  fairest  of  fair  company  under  such  circumstances, 
and  I  am  grateful  even  for  the  recollection  ;  and  let  me  tell 
you,  young  fisherman,  that  it  is  a  mighty  dangerous  occupation 
to  your  peace  of  mind.  To  the  angler  of  maturer  years 
gudgeon-fishing  on  the  bosom  of  old  Thames,  with  a  chosen 
friend,  who  is  lively,  philosophical,  contemplative,  or  convivial 
as  the  humour  changes,  a  cold  pigeon-pie,  a  bottle  of  sparkling 
»herry,  unlimited  seltzer  cooling  in  the  well,  a  fine  warm  day, 


l^^nerry,  ur 


i6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  a  case  of  fragrant  Cabanas,  is  not  to  be  despised  by  any 
means.  But  abler  pens  than  mine  have  sung  the  praises  of 
gudgeon-fishing  ;  and  who  that  is  an  enthusiastic  Thames  fisher 
does  not  remember  the  greatest  of  our  modern  humorist's 
lyric,  with  its  score  of  rhymes  to  "  Ditton  "  ?  But  revenons  d 
nos  goujons.  When  the  fish  begin  to  slacken  in  their  biting, 
the  rake  must  be  used  again,  and  they  will  renew  their  atten- 
tions ;  sometimes  even  a  third  raking  will  answer  if  the  fish 
round  the  spot  are  very  plentiful,  but  more  often  two  apphca- 
tions  of  the  rake  will  be  found  sufficient. 

Gudgeon,  however,  not  only  multiply  in  running  streams, 
they  thrive  well  in  ponds.  I  once  threw  the  contents  of  my 
bait-can  into  a  dirty  horse-pond,  and  the  gudgeons  bred  in 
it  and  did  well  there,  and  lived  in  it  for  years,  furnishing  me 
with  bait  upon  emergencies.  Indeed,  the  water  must  be  very 
foul  indeed  which  a  gudgeon  will  not  be  able  to  exist  in. 

The  gudgeon  is  a  most  agreeable  acquaintance  at  the 
breakfast  table.  There  is  a  crispness  and  piquancy  about  his 
discussion,  when  duly  fried  and  neatly  served,  which  is  highly 
gratifying. 

While  fishing  for  him,  the  young  angler  is  apt  to  pull  up  a 
fish  somewhat  similar  in  appearance  at  the  first  glance,  and 
this  is 

THE  POPE  OR  RUFFE  (Acerina  cernua) 

The  pope  is  of  the  perch  family,  having  the  distinctive 
sharp  spinous  dorsal  fin  of  the  perch.  It  spawns  in  April, 
depositing  its  spawn  among  the  roots  and  fibres  of  water 
plants.  It  takes  freely  the  same  baits  as  the  gudgeon,  and 
should  there  be  a  deepish  slack  eddy  by  the  side  of  your 
gudgeon  swim,  and  near  weeds  or  boughs,  there  you  will 
most  probably  take  pope.  It  is  hardly  worth  notice  for  the 
table,  but  what  little  flesh  there  is  on  it  is  fully  as  sweet  and 
palatable  as  that  of  the  gudgeon.  It  bites  quite  as  boldly  as 
the  gudgeon,  and  forms  a  desirable  prey  for  the  young  angler. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  quite  unknown  to  the  ancients,  and  was 
first  discovered  in  England  by  the  learned  Dr.  Caius,  the 
founder  of  Caius  College,  Cambridge,  who  flourished  about 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  being  physician  to 
Edward  VI  and  the  Queens  Mary  and  EHzabeth.* 

*  The  pope  is  an  Arctic  survival  in  British  waters.  In  Siberia  it  attains 
a  length  of  1 8  inches,  and  a  weight  of  i  h  lb. — Ed. 


BLEAK  AND  ROACH  17 

THE  BLEAK  (Cyprinus  alburnus) 

is  a  lively,  gregarious  little  i&sh,  and  is  very  delicate  eating 
when  cooked  in  the  way  in  which  sprats  are  commonly  cooked, 
which  fish  it  rather  resembles  in  appearance.  It  abounds 
in  many  rivers,  and,  though  not  much  of  a  quarry  for  the 
angler,  may  be  taken  by  whipping  with  a  gentle  or  a  small 
fly  on  the  top  of  the  water,  or  by  using  a  light  quill  float,  with 
a  scrap  of  worm  or  a  gentle  on  a  small  hook,  some  ten  or 
fifteen  inches  under  the  surface.  The  neighbourhood  of  an 
outflowing  drain  is  always  a  favourite  spot  for  bleak,  and  the 
more  filth  that  exudes  from  it  the  more  attractive  it  is.  Quick 
striking  must  be  the  order  of  the  day,  as  they  are  very  sharp 
and  active.  The  bleak,  from  its  brightness,  makes  an  attrac- 
tive bait  to  spin  with  for  trout  and  jack,  but  it  is  tender  on 
the  hooks,  and  soon  wears  out.  The  scales  formerly  fetched 
a  high  price  from  the  artificial  pearl-makers,  for  the  nacre 
on  them.  It  spawns  usually  in  the  month  of  May.  It  delights 
in  warm  summer  weather,  when  the  surface  of  the  water  is 
often  dotted  all  over  with  their  risings.  In  winter  bleak  do 
not  show  so  much,  but  get  nearer  the  bottom,  and  are  much 
less  active. 

THE  ROACH  (Alburrus  lucidus) 

The  roach  is  a  gregarious  fish,  abounding  in  many  of  our 
rivers,  ponds,  and  lakes.  It  feeds  upon  weeds,  worms,  grubs, 
flies,  and  insects  of  various  kinds,  while  it  will  also  feed  greedily 
upon  farinaceous  matters,  as  bread,  bran,  boiled  wheat, 
grains,  etc.  Roach  spawn  about  the  end  of  May,  after  which 
they  shelter  a  good  deal  in  deep  holes,  or  in  the  thick  weed, 
living  upon  the  weed  and  the  insects  found  among  it,  until 
the  weeds  begin  to  turn  sour  with  the  earlier  frosts  of  autumn, 
when  they  take  rather  more  to  the  open  streams.  At  this 
time,  when,  as  it  is  termed,  "  the  weed  is  out  of  them,"  they 
are  in  their  very  best  condition,  the  slimy  coat  they  wore 
among  the  weeds  being  off  them,  and  their  scales  hard  and 
bright  as  silver,  and  the  fins  clear  and  rosy.  Roach  seldom 
much  exceed  two  poimds  in  weight  in  any  of  the  waters  about 
London.  They  have  been  taken  of  three  poimds  weight  in 
waters  which  are  not  often  fished,  and  Pennant  mentions 
one  of  five  pounds  y  but  a  roach  of  two  and  a  half  pounds 
would  be  held  by  any  London  angler — and  they  are  the  chief 


i8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  best  roach-fishers — to  be  a  most  unusual  prize  ;  for  what 
the  trout  is  to  the  country  gentleman  the  roach  is  to  the 
Londoner ;  and  the  Thames,  Lea,  and  Colne  are  eagerly 
sought  by  shoals  of  roach-fishers  every  day  in  the  week  from 
June  to  December,  and  of  late  years  I  am  sorry  to  say  almost 
until  June  again,  and  under  such  wholesale,  regular,  and 
systematic  persecution,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  stock 
of  good  roach  must  diminish.*  The  process,  however,  can 
hardly  be  other  than  a  slow  one  when  we  consider  the  large 
roe  and  the  wonderful  fecundity  of  the  roach.  I  am  not  in 
possession  of  any  actual  facts  proven  by  experiment  as  regards 
the  rate  of  growth  of  the  roach,  but  I  should  conceive  a  half 
pound  roach,  under  a  fair  proportion  of  feeding,  etc.,  to  be  a 
fourth  year's  fish  ;  and,  in  the  interests  of  angling,  none  but 
half-pound  fish  or  thereabouts  should  be  taken.  Roach- 
fishing  is  very  pretty  sport,  requiring  the  exercise  of  much  skill, 
patience,  quickness  of  apprehension,  and  ingenuity,  com- 
bined with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  fish. 
No  greater  mistake  can  be  made  than  to  fancy  the  roach  is  a 
simple  fish.  When  he  is  half-starved,  and  seldom  fished  for, 
he  is  no  doubt  easy  to  capture.  When  about  to  spawn  or  just 
spent  he  loses  much  of  his  caution  and  shyness  ;  but  when 
he  is  well  fed,  in  high  condition,  and  sees  many  rods,  he 
becomes  amazingly  shy  of  the  hook.  I  am  the  tenant  of  a 
portion  of  a  river  in  which  thousands  of  splendid  roach  may 
be  seen  in  great  shoals.  I  have  tried  them  by  every  con- 
ceivable kind  of  baiting  for  two  or  three  years,  both  in  fair 
and  foul  weather  and  fair  and  foul  water,  but  I  have  never 
succeeded  in  taking  more  than  three  or  four  at  the  same  time, 
and  those  I  took  one  evening  with  very  fine  Nottingham 
tackle,  striking  them  at  least  fifty  yards  off.  I  have  also  had 
some  of  the  best  roach-fishers  in  London  down  to  try  them, 
and  they  have  had  no  better  success.  Sometimes  in  dirty 
water  late  in  the  winter  a  few  good  takes  of  splendid  fish 
are  made,  but  at  all  other  times  the  roach  are  exceedingly 
wary.  But  this  is  rather  an  exceptional  case ;  and,  seated 
on  a  stump,  under  the  shade  of  an  old  pollard  willow,  by 
some  deep,  quiet  hole  on  the  Lea  or  Colne,  the  fisherman 
may  enjoy  agreeable  sport,  and  while  watching  his  float  with 
a  mundane  eye  to  the  main  chance,  to  dream  or  morahse  to 

*  Since  this  was  written  the  Freshwater  Fisheries  Act,  1878,  estabUshed  a 
close  time,  15th  March  till  15th  June,  both  inclusive,  for  all  kinds  of  fresh- 
water fish  not  of  the  salmon  order,  with  exception  in  regard  to  certain 
districts. — Ed. 


ROACH-FISHING  19 

his  heart's  content,  as  did  dear  old  Father  Izaak  in  days  of 
yore.  Here  is  the  eddy  he  loved,  and  there  the  bunch  of 
water  flags,  and  yonder  the  honeysuckle  hedge,  but  httle 
changed  these  two  hundred  years  or  so. 

The  means  usually  pursued  in  roach-fishing  have  already 
been  described  in  bank  and  punt-fishing.  The  rods  and 
tackles  requisite  in  the  sport  are  such  as  are  there  set  down. 
The  hook,  if  the  water  be  full  and  the  fish  biting  freely,  should 
be  a  No.  9,  to  carry  two  gentles.  If  the  water  be  very  clear, 
and  the  fish  shy,  a  No.  10  or  11  hook,  to  take  only  one  gentle, 
will  be  found  preferable.  Two  dead  gentles  jammed  together 
in  the  fashion  in  which  the  hook  is  usually  baited,  are  not  a 
common  spectacle  to  the  fish  when  the  angler  is  using  gentles 
as  ground-bait,  and  they  are  therefore  rather  liable  to  challenge 
suspicion  than  otherwise.  In  roach-fishing,  it  is  very  customary 
with  some  anglers  to  use  the  short-shanked  hooks  I  have 
spoken  of  previously  ;  but  they  are  bad  hooks  for  striking, 
and  do  not  strike  true  on  the  point  of  the  hook.  Let  the 
angler  take  one,  fix  the  point  of  the  hook  against  any  substance, 
and  then  pull  the  gut,  and  see  what  ensues.  Let  him  note 
the  angle  formed  by  the  hook  and  gut,  and  indirect  action  of 
the  point,  and  he  will  recognise  the  justice  of  my  remark.  By 
lengthening  the  shank  sUghtly,  the  evil  is  mitigated. 
^'  In  fishing  with  gentles,  it  is  very  common  to  find  the  gentles 
blown  by  the  fish  up  the  shank  of  the  hook,  and  often  an 
inch  or  two  up  the  gut.  Now,  when  you  are  using  very  fine 
gut,  to  have  to  tear  the  gentle  off  it  time  after  time  is  cal- 
culated to  wear  and  fray  the  gut,  which,  as  it  is  often  drawn 
gut,  is  especially  Uable  to  such  injury  ;  and  when  one  is  using 
two  gentles,  the  one  blown  up  is  usually  comparatively  un- 
injured, and  might  be  drawn  back  on  the  hook  with  advantage, 
the  gentle  at  the  point  being  the  only  one  renewed.  A  good 
deal  of  trouble  in  rebaiting  is  thus  often  saved,  which  in 
very  cold  weather,  and  when  the  fish  are  biting  rapidly,  is 
very  desirable.  To  faciUtate  the  return  of  the  gentle,  it  is 
advisable  to  take  two  or  three  turns  of  the  trying  silk  on  the 
gut  above  the  shank,  and  this  also  preserves  the  gut  at  the 
very  point  it  is  most  Uable  to  injury.  The  constant  wear  and 
tear  of  the  binding  in  roach  hooks,  renders  it  necessary  that 
the  tying  should  be  well  varnished,  and  that  the  hooks  should 
be  prepared  some  time  before  use,  that  the  varnish  may  be 
thoroughly  dry,  hard,  and  impenetrable.  Always  use  the 
very  neatest  tackle  which  you  can  afford  for  roach^     Let 


20  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

your  gut  be  of  the  finest,  and  delicately  stained  of  a  pale 
olive-green  weed  colour,  your  shot  be  as  unobtrusive,  and 
the  float  as  light  as  possible.  Some  prefer  single  hair,  and 
I  do  not  object  to  it  if  they  do  prefer  it ;  but  I  think  it  should 
be  used  where  you  only  expect  to  take  roach,  as  in  dull  streams 
and  eddies,  or  when  bank-fishing.  In  a  sharp  stream,  and 
from  a  punt,  or  where  you  may  expect  barbel,  I  do  not  re- 
commend it.  It  may  show  sport,  but  to  waste  half  an  hour 
over  a  one-pound  barbel,  when  the  roach  are  well  on  the 
feed,  does  not  suit  my  views ;  while  a  small  fish  will  often 
snap  the  hair  in  the  strike  when  aided  by  the  length  of  Hne, 
the  weight  of  tackle,  and  a  sharp  stream. 

The  best  hook-baits  for  roach  are,  as  I  have  intimated, 
first,  maggots,  or  gentles  as  they  are  more  commonly  called 
by  metropohtan  anglers.  Those  blown  on  bullock's  liver, 
which  are  shiny  and  yeUow,  are  the  best  by  far.  When  using 
them,  the  roach,  not  being  hungry,  often  want  a  httle  coaxing 
or  variety.  When  you  think  this  is  the  case,  instead  of  two 
gentles  use  one,  and  point  your  hook  with  a  chrysalis.  But 
you  must  strike  lightly  when  fishing  with  chrysalis,  or  you 
will  have  to  bait  afresh  every  swim.  It  will  frequently  happen, 
too,  when  fishing  with  gentles,  that  the  roach  are  shy,  and 
will  keep  on  biting  and  nibbling,  and  a  scene  of  pricking, 
losing,  scratching,  and  abortive  striking  takes  place,  in  which 
your  two  gentles  become  time  after  time  mere  transparent 
skins,  and  your  fish  do  not  come  to  hand.  When  this  is  the 
case,  try  a  small  No.  ii  hook,  just  taking  enough  of  the  skin 
on  the  hook  to  attach  the  gentle  to  the  hook  without  killing 
it  (hook  on  by  the  thick  skin  at  the  butt  or  thick  end  of  the 
gentle),  and  then  let  it  down  the  swim  twirling  about  alive, 
and  you  will  often  get  ten  or  a  dozen  good  fish  if  you  do  not 
lose  one  or  two — before  they  find  out  their  mistake  ;  perhaps 
then  they  will  take  to  pulling  your  gentle  off,  or,  as  before, 
squeezing  out  the  intestines,  carefully  avoiding  the  hook 
meanwhile.  Then  must  you  string  the  gentle  on  to  the  hook 
bodily,  passing  the  hook  into  the  thick  end,  and  the  point 
coming  out  at  the  small  end  or  head,  and  thus  you  may 
delude  a  few  more.  Oft-times,  too,  when  they  find  that  the 
ground-bait  is  rather  a  dangerous  neighbourhood,  or  when 
perhaps  they  may  see  the  punt  too  clearly,  they  will  remain 
below  the  ground-bait,  catching  the  atoms  as  they  sail  by. 
The  best  fish  nearly  always  do  this,  and  rest  quite  at  the  end 
of  the  swim.   Then  cast  your  ground-bait  a  good  way  off  down 


ROACH-FISHING  21 

the  swim.  Let  out  a  few  yards  extra  of  line  and  fish  farther 
off,  and  you  will  often  get  sport  in  that  way  when  the  fish 
will  scarcely  bite  at  all  close  to  the  boat.  All  these  dodges 
and  any  more  which  may  suggest  themselves  to  the  angler, 
should  be  employed  when  the  fish  are  biting  shyly.  A  change 
of  bait  will  often  procure  a  fish  or  two,  and  should  never  be 
neglected.  In  fact,  a  judicious  changing  backwards  and 
forwards  in  this  respect  will  be  found  highly  necessary  to  tickle 
the  jaded  appetites  of  the  well-fed  aldermanic  roach,  and 
by  one  means  or  the  other  something  Hke  a  take  may  generally 
be  made,  provided  the  fish  are  there*  Many  of  the  above 
plans,  it  will  be  seen,  are  equally  feasible  in  bank-fishing. 

The  following  plan  is  an  ingenious  one  ;  it  was  communicated 
to  me  by  an  old  roach-fisher  who  declared  it  to  be  a  great  patent. 
I  have  never  tried  it  myself,  but  the  angler  can  do  so  if  he 
chooses.  It  often  happens  that  when  the  water  is  clear  apd 
low  the  fish  are  difficult  to  attract,  whereas,  if  you  could  dis- 
colour the  water  a  Uttle,  you  would  not  only  coax  the  fish 
to  come  to  your  swim,  but  would  induce  them  to  take  well. 
The  readiest  means,  it  would  seem,  is  a  rake,  but  however 
attractive  this  may  be  to  small  fry,  it  does  not  suit  good 
roach.  Get  a  tube  shaped  like  a  trumpet  or  a  post-horn, 
or  get  a  common  funnel  with  a  large  tube.  Then  get  three 
or  four  lengths  of  zinc  or  tin  pipe,  which  will  fit  into  each 
other  in  joints  Uke  ferrules,  of  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  each 
in  length  ;  screw  on  a  sufficient  number  of  these  to  reach 
the  bottom  of  the  water  ;  tie  a  stone  or  weight  on  to  the  small 
end,  sufficient  to  sink  it  to  the  bottom,  and  keep  it  steady  ; 
then  thrust  it  overboard  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  the 
funnel  remaining  above  the  water,  and  handy  to  you.  Have 
a  tub  near,  in  which  mix  up  some  clay  or  mould  with  bran 
and  plenty  of  water.  Stir  it  up  until  it  becomes  thick  slush. 
Then  take  a  half-pint  mug  full  of  this  hquid  and  pour  it  into 
the  funnel.  This  rises  slowly  from  the  lower  end  of  the  tube 
at  the  bottom  of  the  water,  and  thickens  it  for  two  or  three 
minutes,  quite  sufficiently  to  attract  the  fish  and  set  them 
biting,  while  it  does  not  satisfy  their  hunger  Hke  ground-bait. 
Dropping  your  hook-bait  into  the  muddy  stream,  let  it  follow 
it  down,  and  you  will  be  likely  to  get  a  bite  or  two.    You  can 

*  Anyone  can  catch  some  roach  when  the  big  fellows  are  sucking  down 
the  float  quietly  at  every  swim,  just  under  the  rod-point,  and  when  you 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  strike  and  hook  a  fish  ;  but  the  artist  in  roach- 
fishing  alone  will  make  a  fair  bag  on  an  indifferent  day.  The  above  hints 
are,  of  course,  unnecessary  save  for  the  tyro. — F,  F. 


22  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

renew  the  colouring  matter  about  every  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and,  said  my  informant,  '*  no  matter  how  low  or  bright  the 
water,  you  will  get  sport  when  none  of  the  boats  or  fishermen 
near  you  will  perhaps  be  able  to  get  any/' 

Among  other  baits  much  favoured  by  roach  are  creed 
malt  and  boiled  wheat ;  it  must  be  boiled  until  it  cracks, 
which  takes  a  couple  of  hours.  Green  wheat  in  the  milky 
state  is  a  very  good  bait  in  some  places ;  it  lasts  but  a  short 
time,  however.  Pearl  barley,  which  answers  the  same  purpose, 
is  a  favourite  bait ;  it  should  be  boiled  till  soft,  but  not  too 
soft.  It  sticks  on  the  hooks  nearly  as  well  as  gentles.  Plain 
paste  (see  bait  table)  is  an  excellent  bait  for  roach,  and  usually 
comes  into  favour  as  gentles  go  out.  A  piece  of  the  size  of 
a  big  pea  should  be  put  on  the  hook,  and  the  angler  should  be 
careful  not  to  strike  too  violently,  or  he  will  constantly  have 
to  renew  his  bait.  Some  mix  a  little  wool  with  the  paste  to 
make  it  stay  better  on  the  hook,  and  it  answers  the  purpose 
pretty  well.  It  is  best  used  in  eddies  and  slow  streams.  The 
red  worm  is  a  tolerably  good  bait  also  for  roach,  particularly 
in  thick  water,  where  the  fish  may  have  been  feeding  on 
worms,  and  the  large  roach  will  often  take  the  tail  of  a  lob 
worm  sufficiently  ravenously.  Caddis  bait  is  also  a  favourite 
bait  with  roach,  but  it  is  a  bad  substitute  for  gentles.  The 
diminutive  bloodworm,  found  in  the  muddy  deposit  at  the 
bottom  of  stagnant  waters,  is  held  to  be  a  great  attraction 
for  roach,  but  it  requires  a  fine  hook  and  great  care  to  bait 
it  well. 


SINKING  AND   DRAWING 

Sinking  and  drawing  with  a  large  blow-fly  on  a  small  hook, 
and  a  single  large  shot,  is  a  killing  way  in  warm  weather. 
It  is,  too,  a  scientific  way,  as  the  angler  has  to  trust  a  good 
deal  to  the  sense  of  feeling  for  knowing  when  he  has  a  bite,  as 
no  float  is  used  and  the  bait  is  often  several  inches  under 
water.  The  method  is  to  let  out  some  ten  or  twelve  yards  of 
light  silk  line,  at  the  end  of  which  is  some  six  feet  of  fine  gut 
with  a  small  hook  baited  with  a  large  blow-fly  or  a  wasp-grub, 
or  even  a  gentle  may  be  used  in  the  same  way,  and  about  a 
foot  above  this  a  shot  or  two,  according  to  the  strength  of  the 
stream.  Let  the  bait  sink  almost  to  mid- water  by  dropping 
the  point  of  the  rod,  and  then  draw  it  to  the  top  by  raising 
the  point,  and  so  keep  on  falUng  and  raising  the  point  of  the 


FLY-FISHING  FOR  ROACH  23 

rod  alternately,  gradually  following  your  bait  down-stream  : 
strike  gently  but  quickly  at  the  least  symptom  of  a  bite  or  a 
touch.  In  this  way  you  also  kill  dace  and  sometimes  perch, 
and  occasionally  a  trout.  You  may  also  take  roach,  and  good 
ones  by  fly-fishing.  Indeed,  in  some  waters,  particularly 
where  bottom-fishing  is  difficult  to  follow  by  reason  of  weeds, 
shallows,  etc.,  excellent  sport  may  be  had  with  the  artificial 
fly.  An  imitation  of  a  bluebottle  or  a  common  red  or  black 
palmer,  with  a  pair  of  wings  of  starling  feather  added  to  it, 
is  a  good  fly.  Dress  it  on  a  No.  8  hook.  It  will  be  all  the 
more  attractive  if  the  hook  be  pointed  with  a  gentle  or  a  little 
bit  of  stringy  bacon  skin  of  the  size  of  a  gentle.  In  default 
of  this,  a  small  piece  of  white  kid  or  wash-leather  does  well. 
As  a  rule,  roach  do  not  take  fly  well  upon  the  Thames,  though 
I  have  seen  them  at  special  times  feeding  voraciously  on  flies. 
One  warm  day,  in  October,  i860,  the  ant  fly  was  swarming  in 
the  air,  and  the  water  was  thronged  with  it.  I  was  fishing 
at  Hampton,  and  every  roach  in  the  river  was  feeding  most 
greedily  on  it,  and  on  enquiry  I  found  that  the  same  thing 
had  been  noticed  at  Twickenham  and  elsewhere.  As  the 
method  is  exceptional  there  are  no  rules  for  the  choice  of  a 
fly,  but  if  the  roach  are  rising  freely  it  will  be  desirable  to 
find  out  what  they  are  rising  at  and  to  use  that  fly  ;  in  default 
of  this,  the  angler  may  whip  with  a  gentle  if  the  fish  are 
inclined  to  rise  well,  and  he  will  be  pretty  sure  to  get  good 
sport. 

Large  roach  are  often  taken  also  with  the  lob  worm  when 
barbel-fishing.  The  ground-baits  for  roach  are  as  various 
as  the  hook-baits.  In  still  streams  and  quiet  eddies  these 
should  be  scattered  loosely  in,  without  any  admixture  of 
clay  or  any  sinking  matter,  but  the  angler  in  doing  so  must 
always  calculate  whereabouts  his  bait  is  likely  to  ground, 
and  fish  there  ;  for  if  he  baits  in  one  place,  and  fishes  a  few 
yards  off  it,  his  ground-bait  will  do  him  more  harm  than  no 
bait  at  all  would.  Never  overhait  roach ;  a  very  httle  bait 
will  draw  them  together,  and  a  few  scraps  occasionally  will 
be  all  that  is  necessary  to  keep  them  on  the  watch.  And 
therefore  a  little  bait  scattered  over  a  space  where  all  can 
get  at  it  is  better  than  a  mass  where  only  two  or  three  can 
plunge  their  noses  into  it  and  succeed  in  gorging  themselves. 
There  is  no  plan  so  absurd,  so  literally  destructive  of  sport, 
as  that  pursued  by  the  majority  of  Thames  fishermen,  with 
their  huge  piles  of  puddings  of  clay,  bran,  gentles,  greaves. 


24  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

bread,  and  what  not ;  an  occasional  ball  or  two  mixed  up  with 
clay,  of  about  the  size  of  a  plum,  is  useful  to  keep  the  ground 
baited  ;  but  this  is  a  very  different  thing  from  casting  in 
five  or  ten  at  a  time,  as  big  as  large  oranges. 

For  casting  in  loose,  in  eddies,  either  gentles,  scalded 
greaves,  or  chopped  worms,  may  be  used ;  these  baits  are 
likely  to  attract  barbel  to  the  swim  also  ;  or  any  of  the  above- 
named  hook-baits,  as  bran  (wetted)  with  ground  barley, 
boiled  wheat,  grains,  rice  boiled,  or  baker's  raspings.  Some 
anglers  use  bread,  but  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  hke  this 
plan  ;  it  goes  entirely  against  my  grain  to  take  a  half-quartern 
loaf  and  cast  if  to  the  fishes  ;  it  smacks  too  much  of  "  taking 
the  children's  bread  and  casting  it  to  the  dogs,"  and  seems 
to  me  too  wholesale  a  waste.  When  used,  it  is  soaked  and 
squeezed  up  with  the  bran  ;  but  a  handful  or  two  of  refuse 
rice  is  a  much  better  and  handier  bait.  It  is  a  very  good  plan 
to  damp  the  bran  slightly,  and  mixing  with  a  handful  or  two 
of  pollard  or  meal  and  a  little  rice,  to  squeeze  it,  and  work 
it  lightly  together  over  a  small  pebble  into  balls  about  the 
size  of  large  plums.  This  can  be  used  instead  of  the  clay  bait, 
when  the  stream  is  only  moderately  rapid  ;  it  breaks  directly 
it  touches  the  bottom,  and  scatters  all  over  the  swim  ;  but  as 
it  is  soon  swept  away,  a  small  ball  now  and  then  of  clay,  as 
recommended  above,  is  advisable.  If  fishing  with  paste,  a 
few  pellets  thrown  in  now  and  then  near  the  float,  will  be 
found  advisable.  Other  anglers  use  bullock's  brains  as  a 
ground-bait ;  but  as  it  seems  that  it  is  necessary  to  chew 
them  raw — a  process  my  gorge  rises  at  the  thought  of — I 
have  never  tried  them.  In  the  midland  counties,  however, 
particularly  on  the  Trent,  the  bait  is  in  great  request,  and  is 
called  by  anglers  "  pith."  But  if  gentles,  greaves,  worms, 
pearl  barley,  rice,  and  paste  fail,  the  angler  may  very  reason- 
ably give  up  fishing.  Although  roach  are  not  supposed  to  be 
fish-eaters,  I  have  often  seen  and  heard  of  their  running  at 
and  taking  a  spinning  bait ;  but  I  look  upon  such  facts  as 
mere  aberrations. 


THE  RUDD  (Leuciscus  Erythrophthalmus) 

is  a  widely  distributed  fish,  being  found  in  many  lakes,  ponds, 
and  rivers  throughout  the  kingdom.  The  Norfolk  Broads 
contain  great  quantities  of  them,  as  do  some  of  the  Irish 
lakes.    I  have  taken  large  numbers  in  Osterly  Park.    They  are 


THE  DACE  25 

a  somewhat  similar  fish  to  the  roach,  though  of  a  more  coppery 
tinge,  and  of  a  rather  deeper  and  shorter  make.  They  seldom 
exceed  one  pound  and  a  half  in  weight,  and  are  not  common 
of  that  size.*  For  all  angHng  purposes,  the  directions  given 
for  roach  answer  for  the  rudd  equally.  In  the  Thames  the 
two  fish  are  often  caught  in  the  same  swim,  and  confounded 
together.  "  What  a  short,  thick  roach  !  "  the  angler  will 
sometimes  observe,  as  he  drops  it  into  the  well.  They  spawn 
in  April,  or  early  in  May,  and  are  said  to  be  a  better  fish  for 
the  table  than  roach. 

THE  DACE  (Leuciscus  vulgaris) 

The  dace  is  an  active  and  prolific  Uttle  fish,  slender  and 
graceful  in  its  proportions.  It  seldom  exceeds  a  pound  in 
weight,  and  in  few  rivers  in  England  is  it  even  taken  up  to 
that  weight ;  in  the  Thames  a  dace  of  half  a  pound  is  unusually 
large,  though  I  once  remember  taking  thirteen  that  weighed 
seven  pounds,  my  companion  having  previously  taken  his 
share  from  the  basket  (which  was  the  product  of  our  joint 
efforts) ,  which  consisted  of  a  like  number  as  fine  or  finer ; 
all  these  fish  were  taken  with  the  tail  of  the  lob  worm  when 
we  had  baited  for  barbel.  Never  before  or  since,  through 
many  long  years'  experience,  have  I  seen  such  a  take  of  dace 
on  the  Thames,  nor  one  at  all  approaching  it  for  average  size. 
In  the  Colne,  and  the  Hampshire  Avon,  and  the  Usk,  however, 
I  have  often  seen  dace  that  would  weigh  full  three-quarters 
of  a  pound,  and  even  more.  The  dace  is  gregarious,  and 
spawns  in  May  or  June,  and  gets  into  fair  condition  again  by 
the  middle  of  July.  By  August  they  get  on  the  shallows, 
where  they  may  be  taken  in  large  numbers,  by  whipping 
with  almost  any  small  fly,  or  even  with  a  single  gentle  ;  some 
people,  to  make  the  fly  more  attractive,  point  the  hook  with 
a  gentle ;  others,  as  I  have  recommended  in  roach-fishing, 
use  a  small  shred  of  kid  or  wash-leather.  I  have  found  the 
inner  rind  of  a  scrap  of  stringy  bacon  answer  the  purpose 
better  perhaps  than  either,  being  a  kind  of  compromise 
between  the  two  ;  that  is,  something  to  taste,  and  not  Hable 
to  be  whipped  off.  A  short  stiff  rod  (about  eight  feet  long) 
is  the  best  for  this  work.    The  fine  should  not  be  too  long, 

*  I  am  informed  on  good  authority  that  rudd  are  frequently  taken  at 
Slapton  weighing  2  lb.  "  Big  rudd,"  writes  Mr.  A.  W.  Hi-11,  "  won't  take  fly, 
but  are  taken  by  keeping  well  out  of  sight  and  casting  a  bit  of  breadcrust 
like  a  fly  and  letting  it  float." — Ed. 


26  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

or  it  is  not  manageable,  as  quick  striking  is  the  order  of  the 
day  with  this  very  nimble  fish.  The  flies  should  always  be 
dressed  upon  as  large  hooks  as  the  angler  can  afford  to  dress 
them  on,  as  the  fish  rising  often  in  very  sharp  streams  are 
apt  to  break  off  from  any  slight  hold.  In  the  eddies  of  a 
sharpish  stream,  over  a  shallow,  by  the  side  of  a  bank  of 
weeds  is  a  sure  find  for  them.  Choose  for  your  sport  a  day 
that  is  cloudy  and  warm,  and  without  much  wind  ;  as  if 
there  be  much  wind  you  cannot  see  the  rises,  and  when  you 
feel  them  it  is  too  late  to  strike  dace,  as  they  reject  the  fly 
with  great  quickness ;  hence  the  use  of  the  gentle,  or  bacon 
rind,  to  make  them  retain  their  hold.  They  are  very  quick 
of  sight,  and  on  a  too  sunny  day  the  angler  will  experience 
the  disappointment  of  seeing  fish  after  fish,  and  often  two  or 
three  at  a  time,  follow  his  fly  for  yards  without  taking  it ; 
when  this  is  the  case,  try  a  smaller  fly  and  finer  tackle,  and 
don't  forget  the  bacon  or  gentle. 

All  the  methods,  and  arts,  and  tackle,  recommended  for 
catching  roach,  are  applicable  to  dace,  and  the  hooks  are  of 
a  similar  size,  only  as  the  dace  is  rather  more  carnivorous, 
the  angler  will  find  worms,  greaves,  and  geijtles  preferable 
to  farinaceous  food ;  and  although  roach  and  dace  for  the 
most  part  bite  in  the  same  swims,  yet,  if  the  angler  desires 
more  particularly  to  fish  for  dace,  he  must  choose  a  rather 
swifter  and  heavier  swim ;  dace  bite  rather  quicker  and 
sharper  than  roach,  and  the  slow  suck  down,  that  so  often 
betrays  a  good  roach,  is  not  so  common  in  dace-fishing.  One 
good  plan  of  attracting  small  dace  is  to  rake  the  bottom,  as 
in  gudgeon-fishing,  when  little  or  no  ground-bait  will  be 
needed. 

When  fly-fishing  for  dace,  be  cautious  and  quiet,  as  they 
are  easily  alarmed,  and  a  slight  wave,  or  unusual  ripple  on 
the  water,  will  instantly  stop  their  rising.  There  is  no  bait 
so  good  for  taking  dace  as  a  red  worm,  or  the  tail  of  a  small 
lob  worm  ;  next  to  that,  I  give  the  preference  to  gentles  and 
greaves. 

Dace  are  a  troublesome  fish  to  get  into  a  trout  stream, 
as  their  habits  and  food  being  similar  to  that  of  the  trout,  they 
take  much  of  the  food  from  the  trout,  and  being  a  restless 
hardy  fish,  and,  moreover,  in  the  height  of  condition  when 
the  trout  are  spawning,  they  pick  up  a  vast  quantity  of  the 
eggs  shed  by  the  trout,  and  owing  to  these  and  other  causes 
they  soon  considerably  outnumber  and  override  the  trout. 


THE  CHUB  27 

The  greatest  number  of  dace  I  ever  saw  together  was  in  the 
pools  in  the  river  Usk,  a  mile  or  two  below  Brecon.  The 
pools  were  alive  with  them,  and  they  ran  very  large  ;  I  saw 
some  nearly  a  pound  in  weight.  They  were,  too,  in  this  water, 
but  bad  risers,  and  were  not  much  thinned  by  the  fly,  and 
bait-fishing  not  being  allowed,  they  had  it  all  their  own  way, 
and  the  trout  evidently  suffered  in  proportion  to  their  increase. 

They  are  a  delicate  fish  to  eat  when  in  good  order,  and 
should  be  broiled  dry,  a  sUce  of  butter  being  then  allowed  to 
melt  upon  them.  They  make  one  of  the  most  valuable  spinning 
baits  for  jack  and  trout  which  the  angler  can  obtain,  being 
bright  and  round,  and  reasonably  tough  on  the  hooks. 

The  metropolitan  angler  finds  excellent  dace-fishing,  particu- 
larly with  the  fly,  on  the  various  shallows  between  Isle  worth 
and  Tedding  ton  Lock.  It  will  be  found  advisable  to  pay 
some  attention  to  the  particular  fly  on  the  water  ;  though 
small  red  and  black  paimers  will  seldom  fail  to  kill.  Still 
there  are  times  when  other  flies  will  kill  better,  and  it  is 
advisable  to  note  this.  I  have  had  good  sport  with  dims  of 
all  kinds,  ant  flies,  the  water-cricket,  the  cinnamon,  etc. 


THE   CHUB  (Leuciscus  cephalus) 

The  chub  is  a  well-shaped,  handsome-looking  member  of 
the  carp  tribe  ;  but  his  value  for  the  table  much  behes  his 
appearance,  his  flesh  being  watery,  coarse,  and  tasteless. 
The  French  are  said  to  call  him  "  un  vilain,"  from  the  difficulty 
they  experience  in  rendering  him  toothsome,  and  it  seems 
reasonable  that  the  fish,  which  even  French  cookery  rejects 
as  worthless,  should  be  held  by  others  in  the  very  lowest 
estimation  ;  and  yet  he  may  be  made  eatable.  One  of  the 
best  recipes  for  this  purpose  is  the  weU-known  one  in  Izaak 
Walton.  Moreover,  small  chub  of  some  half-pound  weight,  if 
crimped  and  fried  dry,  are  by  no  means  so  bad  as  above 
represented,  and  will  "  pleasure  "  others  than  "  poor  bodies." 
But  I  must  reiterate  that  which  he  states  with  respect  to  chub, 
viz.  that  they  must  be  cooked  as  soon  as  caught,  for  if  kept 
even  for  the  night  they  are  worthless. 
l^pThe  chub  spawns  early  in  May,  and  not  uncommonly 
■^feaches  the  weight  of  six  or  seven  pounds,  though  seldom 
taken  over  that  weight.  Yarrell  says  he  cannot  find  one 
[■pcorded  of  over  five  pounds  weight,  but  I  have  seen  them  of 


28  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

six  pounds  in  the  Thames,  and  have  heard  of  them  of  seven 
or  eight  pounds.  The  chub  is  rather  an  omnivorous  fish,  and 
may  be  taken  in  almost  any  way  ;  he  will  rise  freely  at  a  fly, 
will  run  equally  at  a  spinning-bait,*  or  a  live  minnow  ;  at 
slugs,  worms,  snails,  frogs,  greaves,  pastes,  and  particularly 
cheese,  he  is  a  perfect  glutton. 

About  June  chub  go  upon  the  shallows  to  clean  themselves  ; 
the  tail  of  a  pool,  where  there  is  a  sharpish  stream,  is  a  favourite 
place  for  them.  Here  they  may  be  taken  in  some  good  numbers 
with  a  good  rough  palmer  or  alder  fly,  provided  the  angler 
gives  them  a  rest  for  every  two  or  three  fish  which  he  takes,  as 
they  are  a  very  shy  fish,  and  easily  alarmed.  Later  on,  as 
the  season  gets  warmer,  they  retire  to  deep  holes,  or  under 
banks,  large  stumps,  roots,  old  campshots,  or  beneath  over- 
hanging boughs ;  these  last  are  usually  a  sure  find,  for  there 
they  lie  on  the  watch  for  any  insect  that  may  drop  from  the 
branches  above  into  their  ever-ready  jaws ;  and  nothing 
Hving  that  is  small  enough  comes  amiss  to  them,  for  chub 
will  take  cockchafers,  bumblebees,  wasps,  palmers,  and 
caterpillars  of  all  kinds — beetles,  slugs,  and  snails  most  raven- 
ously. I  know  of  no  pleasanter  way  of  fishing  for  chub,  on  a 
warm  summer  evening,  than  drifting  quietly  along  just  within 
a  long  cast  of  the  boughs,  having  on  for  a  bait  a  large  rough 
red  or  black  palmer,  or,  if  they  rise  not  well  to  these,  an 
imitation  bumblebee,  of  which  a  cut  may  be  seen  in  Plate  IX, 
Fig.  4.  page  211,  if  the  fish  are  inclined  to  rise  at  all,  one  of 
these  lures  will  seldom  fail  to  kill ;  the  alder,  or  the  cinnamon, 
or  any  large  trout  fly  will  also  kill  well,  and  casting  in  as  far 
under  the  boughs  as  may  be  practicable.  When  the  chub 
rises  to  the  fly,  the  angler  must  be  a  bungler  indeed  who 
neglects  to  stick  his  hook  into  his  huge  leathern  portmanteau 
of  a  mouth.  He  fights  well  for  a  minute,  but  does  not  last, 
for  after  his  first  run  he  is  soon  subdued.  The  above  is  the 
pleasantest  way  of  fishing  for  chub,  but  not  the  most  kilHng, 
particularly  for  large  fish.  A  better  plan  is  to  use  a  stiff 
double-handed  fly  rod  and  a  single  perch  hook ;  on  this  stick  the 
head  of  a  lob  worm,  or  a  lump  of  greaves,  or  a  bunch  of  gentles, 
and  cast  it  hke  a  fly  towards  the  boughs,  bank,  or  campshot, 
and  let  it  sink  to  mid-water,  working  it  towards  you,  and  at 

*  I  have  frequently,  when  spinning  for  trout,  taken  chub  of  four  pounds 
weight  and  upwards,  to  my  considerable  disgust  and  disappointment  ;  and 
how  I  have  anathematised  them  for  taking  the  salmon  fly,  just  when  some 
salmon  has  shown  himself  on  the  Wye,  where  they  abound,  I  hardly  like  to 
recall. — F.  F. 


DAPING  FOR  CHUB  29 

the  slightest  symptom  of  a  touch  strike  smartly  ;  indeed,  the 
bait  should  never  be  drawn  out  of  the  water  to  repeat  the 
throw  without  a  strike  ;  by  this  means  both  perch  and  trout 
may  often  be  taken.  It  is  the  best  way  of  taking  good  chub, 
combined  with  exercise  and  motion,  and  is  pleasanter  than 
the  practice  of  daping,  or  float-fishing.  With  regard  to  the 
former,  no  better  instructions  have  ever  been  given  than  those 
of  Izaak  Walton.  My  advice  on  this  point  is  brief.  Having 
found  out  the  holes  and  spots  where  the  chub  are,  and  having 
decided  how  they  can  be  fished,  let  the  angler  first  see  that 
his  rod  and  line  are  all  in  proper  trim,  and  his  hook  carefully 
baited.*  The  spot  must  then  be  approached  with  the  utmost 
caution  ;  he  must  keep  out  of  sight  behind  some  bush  or  tree, 
on  his  hands  and  knees  if  need  be.  If  he  cannot  accompUsh 
this  he  must  do  the  best  he  can,  and  having  reached  the  spot 
he  intends  to  fish  from,  he  must  try  perfect  quiet,  and  give  the 
fish  time  to  recover  from  the  alarm  he  has  thrown  them  into. 
Next,  protruding  his  rod  at  an  angle  of  45°  over  the  water, 
with  as  little  flourish  or  disturbance  as  possible,  he  may  allow 
the  baited  hook  to  fall  from  the  hand  in  which  he  has  held  it, 
so  that  it  may  hang  some  six  or  eight  inches  from  the  water ; 
gradually  and  very  gently  he  may  move  the  point  of  the  rod 
over  the  spot  where  the  fish  are  thickest ;  having  arrived  so 
far,  he  may  drop  his  bait  smartly  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
If  the  chub  rises  and  gobbles  it  down  directly  (as,  if  the  angler 
has  conducted  his  operations  properly,  wiU  most  Ukely  be 
the  case)  he  must  not  strike  immediately,  or  the  fish  will 
splash  upon  the  top  of  the  water,  and  so  disturb  every  chub 
within  yards  of  the  spot.  But  he  must  allow  the  fish  to  turn 
his  head  well  down,  and  then  give  him  a  gentle  pull  (not  a 
sharp  strike),  and  put  a  strong  persuasive  drag  on  in  order  to 
lead  him  away  from  the  spot,  so  that  he  may  not  by  flying 
about  all  over  the  hole  disturb  the  others,  for,  if  he  is  permitted 
to  do  so,  the  angler  will  barely  take  another  fish  in  the  hole, 
whereas  by  conducting  his  measures  properly  he  may  take 
three  or  four  or  more.    Having  landed  his  fish  with  as  little 

*  Before  the  angler  ever  attempts  to  fish  any  special  hole,  swim,  pitch, 
or  cast,  let  him  study  the  spot,  and  settle  in  his  own  mind  how  it  can  best 
be  fished  to  advantage  ;  how  this  bough  or  that  obstruction,  may  be  avoided  ; 
hoW  the  wind  acts  with  reference  to  them  ;  how  an  eddy  may  be  used  or 
avoided,  and  how  the  spot  can  be  approached  best  without  his  being  seen 
or  heard.  By  so  doing,  in  many  cases,  he  will  avoid  the  disappointment  so 
often  consequent  upon  hastiness  ;  and  the  practice  of  such  consideration 
will,  in  time,  so  improve  his  judgment  and  quickness  that  this  portion  of 
his  art  will  appear  almost  like  intuition  to  the  less  considerate  angler. — F.  F. 


30  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

noise  as  possible,  he  must  bait  the  hook,  and  swing  it  out  over 
the  hole  again,  and  there  let  it  hang  for  a  few  minutes  previous 
to  dropping  it  on  the  surface,  in  order  that  the  chub  may 
thoroughly  recover  their  equanimity.  When  the  fish  become 
quite  disturbed,  the  angler  should  leave  the  spot,  casting  in  a 
handful  of  ground-bait  ere  he  goes.  No  good  will  be  done 
by  his  continuing  to  fish  it,  for  the  chub  will  not  come  on  the 
feed  again  unless  left  to  themselves  for  an  hour  or  more,  when 
he  may  come  back  and  renew  his  attentions  with  success. 

The  best  baits  for  daping  are  cockchafer,  bumblebee,  grass- 
hopper, large  flies  of  various  kinds,  and  the  young  frog.  Flies 
should  be  hooked  on  sideways  through  the  thorax,  and  not 
from  head  to  tail,  and  as  little  line  as  possible  should  rest  on 
the  water  when  daping  with  them.  Fishing  with  the  young 
frog  is  a  very  kiUing  method  of  fishing  for  chub.  The  following 
method  I  have  from  Mr.  Rolfe,  the  well-known  fish  artist, 
and  by  this  means  almost  any  spot  can  easily  be  fished.  The 
worst  things  one  has  to  contend  with  in  daping  are  the  branches 
and  fohage  on  the  wooded  spots  where  this  kind  of  angling 
is  chiefly  followed ;]  the  difficulty  being  to  get  the  line  and 
hook  out  over  the  water  without  entanghng.  To  do  this, 
various  expedients  have  been  adopted — twisting  the  line 
round  the  top  of  the  rod,  and  then  poking  it  through  holes 
in  the  bushes  over  the  water,  and  there  untwisting  it  by  turning 
the  rod  round  like  a  mop  handle  the  reverse  way  to  the  twist. 
But  this  is  tedious,  and  not  always  certain.  Mr.  Rolfe's  plan 
is  far  better.  Use  a  long,  light,  and  stiffish  rod  with  upright 
rings,  a  very  fine  soft  silk  Nottingham  fine ;  have  a  perch 
hook  on  about  a  foot  of  fine  gut  for  the  line,  and  a  bullet  of 
sufficient  weight  made  fast  at  the  join  between  the  foot  of 
gut  and  the  silk  line.  Take  a  small  lively  frog  (you  can  get 
any  number  of  them  collected  by  country  lads  at  the  right 
period  of  the  year).  Hook  a  very  little  bit  of  the  skin  of  the 
frog's  back  on  the  bend  of  the  hook  (just  enough  to  secure  with- 
out damaging  him),  as  Izaak  sayeth,  "  Treat  him  as  if  j^ou  loved 
him,"  though  it  may  be  a  queer  method  of  expressing  one's 
sentiments.  Now,  having  wound  all  the  line  up  on  your  reel 
until  the  bullet  touches  the  eye  of  the  rod-top,  check  the  line 
so  as  to  keep  it  there.  You  have  then  but  the  foot  of  gut  with 
the  hook  and  frog  hanging  from  the  point,  and  there  are  very 
few  holes  amongst  foliage,  where  you  may  desire  to  fish, 
through  which  this  cannot  easily  be  passed  without  catching 
in  any  twigs.    Having  passed  it  through,  and  the  rod-point 


VARIOUS  BAITS  31 

being  over  the  spot  you  want  to  fish,  release  the  Une,  and  the 
weight  of  the  bullet  will  draw  it  out  directly.  As  the  frog 
glides  down  towards  the  surface,  ease  the  Hne  slowly,  as  it 
is  not  desirous  to  plump  him  or  the  bullet  into  the  water, 
but  to  keep  him  on  the  surface,  so  that  not  an  inch  of  the  Une 
should  touch  the  water,  but  the  frog  should  just  rest,  as  it 
were,  upon  the  surface,  the  bullet  being  a  foot  above  him  and 
quite  out  of  the  water,  of  course.  The  moment  the  frog  touches 
the  water,  he  will  begin  to  strike  out,  and  in  his  ineffective 
attempts  to  swim  away  he  will  kick  up  such  an  attractive  bob- 
bery on  the  top  of  the  water  that  all  the  chubs  within  reasonable 
range  will  come  to  see  what  the  disturbance  is,  and  to  a  cer- 
tainty they  will  think  it  necessary  to  take  the  disturber  of 
the  peace  into  custody. 

Tastes  differ.  Some  like  frogs,  and  some  cockchafers  and 
some  bumblebees.  I  have  another  friend  who  is  a  very  success- 
ful angler  for  large  chub  on  the  Thames,  and  who  vows  that 
no  respectable  chub  is  seen  out  after  the  grey  of  the  morning. 
He  then  goes  out,  and  rows  very  gently  up-stream  as  far  away 
from  the  spots  he  intends  to  fish  as  possible,  and  drops  down 
the  river  with  the  most  intense  caution,  with  muffled  rowlocks 
and  carpet  sHppers,  Hke  a  housebreaker,  grasping  his  jemmy 
or  fishing-rod,  and  with  hardly  a  breath  or  motion.  He  knows 
the  exact  spots,  calculates  his  distance  nicely,  and  casts  an 
artificial  cockchafer  into  the  holes,  the  hook  being  attractively 
garnished  with  two  or  three  gentles,  which  give  the  cockchafer 
the  savoury  appearance  of  having  had  his  intestines  squeezed 
out,  a  state  of  things  which  he  declares  that  no  chub  can  resist ; 

■and  he  certainly  does  catch  some  very  large  chub  where  no 
one  would  expect  them.  He  says,  however,  that  so  timid  are 
the  larger  chub  that  at  the  slightest  disturbance  they  return  to 
their  holes  ;  the  slightest  noise  or  motion  is  fatal,  and  that, 
if  he  finds  a  boat  even  has  gone  blundering  up  the  river  before 

i^- him,  he  does  not  think  it  worth  while  to  go  out. 
^K  One  of  the  most  common  and  general  ways  of  fishing  for 
chub  is  with  float  and  ground-bait ;  the  best  baits  to  use  thus 
for  chub  are  greaves  and  cheese.  There  is  a  coarse  common 
kind  of  cheese  made  in  the  north  and  in  Wales  for  about  2d. 
per  pound,  which  is  suitable  for  this  purpose.*  The  greaves 
should  be  broken  up  and  scalded  ;    the  cheese  cut  to  the  size 

I  of  gooseberries. 
As  chub  are  rather  shy,  the  angler,  particularly  if  he  is  in  a 
•  It  is  long  since  cheese  of  any  kind  could  be  had  at  that  figure ! — Ed. 
I 


32  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

punt  or  boat,  must  fish  for  them  some  distance  from  him,  and 
he  must,  therefore,  when  throwing  in  his  bait,  calculate 
whereabouts  it  will  ground  or  be  dispersed  on  the  bottom 
rather  nicely,  because  over  that  part  of  the  swim  he  must  fish 
the  most  carefully.  This  should  not  be  nearer  to  him  than  ten 
yards,  and  from  twelve  to  twenty  will  be  better.  Use  Notting- 
ham tackle,  which  will  be  described  presently.  The  float, 
of  course,  must  suit  the  stream.  The  hook,  if  greaves  or  cheese 
be  used,  should  be  a  small  triangle,  and  the  depth  plumbed 
so  that  the  bait  may  travel  naturally  along  the  bottom  without 
dragging  too  much.  The  Nottingham  tackle  used  in  "  Hght 
corking  "  will  be  about  the  tackle  for  this  purpose.  The 
tackle  dropped  in,  and  the  swim  commenced,  the  rod  is  held 
almost  upright,  the  point  inclining  a  little  forward.  If  the 
weight  of  the  stream  does  not  take  the  line  out  fast  enough, 
it  must  be  handed  off  the  reel.  The  great  object  is  not  to  check 
the  hne,  but  to  let  the  bait  travel  steadily  onward.  Presently 
the  float  disappears  and  the  angler  must  strike  smartly  and 
firmly  (as  he  may  have  a  good  length  of  line  to  Hf t  off  the  water) 
back  over  his  right  shoulder.  If  he  has  hooked  his  fish,  he 
then  winds  steadily  on  him  until  he  winds  him  up  into  the 
swim  under  the  point  of  the  rod,  when,  if  he  has  been  brought 
up  from  any  distance,  he  is  usually  fit  for  the  landing-net. 
In  this  kind  of  fishing,  which  is  called  "  traveller  "  fishing 
(the  float  being  the  traveller),  a  long  swim  is  made  if  the 
bottom  admits  it,  and  it  is  common  enough  to  strike  fish  forty 
or  even  fifty  yards  off.  Many  sorts  of  fish  are  caught  in  this 
way,  as  I  shall  show. 

Chub  are  often,  too,  caught  when  float-fishing  in  the  ordinary 
roach  and  dace  style,  either  from  punt  or  bank,  mostly, 
however,  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  swim,  and  if  there  be  a  chub 
about,  a  swim  of  some  five  or  ten  yards  extra  will  often  be 
rewarded  with  a  good  one.  Many  trout  and  even  salmon 
rivers  abound  in  chub,  as  the  Welsh  Wye  and  Irvon,  where 
they  are  a  positive  nuisance  to  the  angler,  and  take  the  place 
and  food  of  better  fish.  I  once,  when  fishing  the  Wye  with  a 
very  light  eleven-foot  trout  rod,  had  two  of  these  brutes  on 
at  the  same  time  of  about  two  pounds  each,  and  no  landing- 
net.  I  was  fishing  a  very  promising  run  of  trout  and  grayhng 
water,  and,  to  my  disgust"  they  quite  spoiled  all  chance  of 
sport  in  it.  They  are  very  abundant  also  in  the  Kennet,  Wind- 
rush,  and  many  other  excellent  trout  streams,  which  suffer 
severely  by  their  superabundance. 


THE  BARBEL  33 

The  scales  of  chub,  as  well  as  those  of  bleak,  were  formerly 
valuable  for  the  nacre  upon  them  to  the  artificial  pearl-makers, 
but  a  better  substitute  has  long  rendered  them  valueless. 

It  is  but  seldom  the  angler  would  either  spin  or  use  a  Hve 
bait  for  chub,  as  their  taking  it  is  rather  the  exception  than 
the  rule,  though  they  do  take  both  spinning  and  Hve  baits 
at  times.  Besides  cheese  and  greaves  for  bottom  baits,  chub 
are  very  partial  to  various  grubs  and  caterpillars,  to  the  black 
slug,  to  snails,  gentles,  and  worms.  The  chub  Ukes  a  large 
and  fat  mouthful,  so  that  the  hook  may  be  well  covered. 

I  always  look  upon  the  chub  with  somewhat  of  veneration  ; 
for  was  it  not  that  historical  chub,  that  chub  Dagon  in  fact, 
with  the  white  spot  on  his  tail,  that  was  the  first  fish  that 
introduced  me  to  old  Izaak  ?  I  trow  it  was,  and  well  do  I 
remember,  although  so  many  years  have  passed  away,  how 
from  that  chub  I  devoured  the  work  to  the  end.  Venator  and 
Auceps  I  cared  nought  for.  I  care  nothing  for  them  now. 
They  were  simple  nuisances  ;  they  are  excrescences,  wens, 
which  should  be  cut  off.  Indeed,  I  doubt  if  ever  I  waded 
through  their  conversations. 


THE    BARBEL  (Barbus  vulgaris) 

So  named  from  the  barbs  or  wattles  that  depend  from  the 
sides  of  the  mouth.  It  is  a  coarse,  watery,  flavourless,  bony 
fish,  and  of  httle  value  for  the  table  unless  it  be  used  as  stock 
for  fish-soup.  Albeit  I  have  seen  fishermen  eat  them,  first, 
however,  spHtting  them  down  the  back,  and  taking  out  the 
backbone  Barbel  spawn  in  May  or  June,  and  get  into  con- 
dition about  the  end  of  July,  before  which  time,  therefore, 
they  ought  to  be  spared  by  the  angler.  Bottom-fishing 
commences  on  the  Thames  in  June,  and  numbers  of  barbel 
are  often  caught  in  a  gravid  state.  I  have  seen  them  captured 
at  that  time,  when  the  spawn  and  milt  was  running  from 
them  at  the  sUghtest  pressure.  The  barbel  is  gregarious,  and 
is  a  widely  distributed  fish,  being  found  in  abundance  in  many 
of  the  Continental  rivers.  It  abounds  also  in  the  Crimea. 
With  us  it  is  seldom  found  to  reach  above  sixteen  pounds  in 
weight,  and  one  of  twelve  pounds,  though  not  very  uncommon, 
is  not  taken  every  day.  The  barbel,  from  the  size  of  its  fins  and 
its  powerful  muscles,  affords  great  sport,  the  sport  being  much 
enhanced  by  the  very  fine  tackle  which  is  often  employed  in 
his  capture ;   and  a  day's  good  barbel-fishing  witli  fine  float 


34  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

tackle,  when  the  barbel  are  biting  freely,  is  not  to  be  despised, 
for  you  may  sometimes  have  fish  of  eight,  ten,  and  even  twelve 
pounds  weight  upon  the  finest  possible  hook  and  tackle. 

There  are  two  means  employed  for  barbel-fishing — by 
float-fishing  and  by  a  stationary  bait  kept  in  its  place  by 
means  of  a  plummet ;  and,  firstly,  I  shall  treat  of  float-fishing 
for  barbel.  The  barbel's  powerful  fins  enable  him  to  frequent 
the  strongest  and  heaviest  streams,  and  in  these,  if  there  be 
a  ledge  or  a  deep  hole  or  eddy  in  which  he  can  rest,  there  he 
will  be  found,  and  usually  with  many  friends  in  his  company. 
Having  found  out  his  whereabouts,  the  next  thing  is  to  decide 
upon  the  swim,  and  how  to  bait  and  fish  it  most  advantage- 
ously. There  are  many  places  which  barbel  affect,  and  in 
which  the  largest  fish  will  often  be  found,  which,  owing  to 
the  turbulence  of  the  water,  can  only  be  fished  with  ledger 
tackle  ;  but  for  the  float  choose  a  moderately  sharp  part  of 
the  stream  as  near  the  supposed  hole  as  may  conveniently  be. 
It  should  have  a  fairly  level  bottom  without  large  stones  or 
other  obstructions,  and  be  of  tolerably  equable  depth,  with  a 
steady  current  and  not  too  much  eddy  or  boil.  If  the  float  on 
the  first  trial  be  drowned  or  sucked  under,  a  heavier  one,  with 
a  weightier  set  of  tackle,  should  be  chosen.  Eight  or  ten  BB 
shots  as  sinkers  will  fish  most  streams,  but  the  Hghtest  tackle 
which  the  stream  will  carry  is  the  best,  provided  the  float 
swims  easily  and  steadily.  It  is  advisable  that  the  swim 
should  not  be  less  than  four  feet  in  depth,  nor  for  the  con- 
venience and  comfort  of  the  angler  should  it  be  more  than 
from  eight  to  ten,  or  the  tackle  will  need  to  be  heavy,  and  the 
depth  will  be  unmanageable  for  comfortable  fishing.  Of  course, 
I  am  here  referring  to  the  choice  of  a  swim  and  to  ordinarily 
clear  water.  There  are  plenty  of  cases  where  there  is  no  choice, 
and  the  angler  may  be  obHged  at  times  to  fish  in  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  of  water.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  water  be 
heavy  and  coloured  much  with  rain,  he  will  sometimes  get 
good  fishing  in  three  or  four  feet.  Having  found  out  where 
there  are  barbel,  and  selected  the  swim,  all  that  the  angler  has 
to  do  is  to  bait  the  stream  and  fish  it.  If,  however,  he  does  not 
know  where  there  are  barbel  he  should  keep  his  eyes  open, 
and  mark  where  he  sees  a  barbel  jump  ;  for,  as  they  are  by  no 
means  a  solitary  fish,  he  will  probably  there  find  more  of  them. 
Barbel  are  a  very  restless  fish,  jumping  out  of  the  water  all 
day  long,  differing  in  this  from  many  fish  which  only  show 
themselves  so  in  the  morning  and  evening.    It  is  said  that  they 


BARBEL-FISHING  35 

jump  thus  to  free  themselves  from  parasites  to  which  they  are 
very  subject. 

If  the  angler  cannot  fix  upon  a  swim  in  this  way,  he  should 
choose  a  swim  such  as  I  have  described,  and  which  ends  in, 
or  runs  by  the  edge  of,  some  deep  hole  or  eddy,  or  where  there 
are  old  piles  or  roots,  sunken  boats,  or  rubbish  of  any  kind 
which  may  afford  harbours  for  the  fish.  This  he  should  bait 
in  such  fashion  that  some  of  the  bait  shall  find  its  way  into 
the  hole  and  amongst  the  rubbish,  and  so  coax  the  fish  from 
their  holes  to  look  for  more,  even  though  a  hook  should  be 
concealed  in  some  of  it.  Failing  in  all  these  methods,  he  must 
rove  for  them,  and  this,  after  all,  is  much  the  pleasantest  way 
of  fishing.  Coming  to  the  river's  side,  he  chooses  a  swim 
which  appears  suitable,  and  which  he  finds  is  tolerably  level. 
Here  he  breaks  up  two  or  three  worms  or  other  bait,  and 
throws  them  loosely  into  the  water,  so  that  they  shall  find 
the  bottom  all  about  the  swim  he  designs  to  fish.  Then  he 
takes  half  a  dozen  or  a  dozen  swims.  If  he  catches  a  fish  he 
throws  in  another  worm  or  two.  If  the  fish  go  on  biting  he 
keeps  on  fishing,  now  and  then  throwing  in  a  worm  or  two  to 
draw  them  together.  If  the  place  appears  likely  to  show  sport, 
he  throws  in  perhaps  half  a  dozen  or  a  dozen  worms  broken  up, 
and  fishes  the  swim  until  the  fish  are  exhausted  or  go  off,  when 
he  seeks  another  swim.  Should  he,  however,  get  no  fish  or 
bite  in  half  a  dozen  swims  he  continues  onward  down-stream 
until  he  comes  to  the  next  most  Ukely  swim,  when  he  tries 
that  "in  Uke  manner — never  stopping  longer  in  one  swim 
than  the  fish  bite.  • 

In  this  method  of  fishing  the  angler  must  make  as  little 
disturbance  on  the  bank  as  possible,  or  he  will  alarm  every 
fish.  Should  he,  however,  know  where  a  good  store  of  barbel 
lie,  having  chosen  the  swim,  he  will  proceed  to  bait  it  with 
about  1000  fresh  lob  or  dew- worms,  coming  to  it  at  least  twenty 
hours  before  he  intends  to  fish  it.  He  breaks  each  worm  up 
into  about  four  pieces,  and  casts  the  whole  into  the  place  he 
intends  to  fish.  On  the  Thames,  in  order  to  keep  the  bait 
from  straying  too  far,  the  worms  are  enclosed  in  huge  balls  of 
clay,  and  the  fishermen  bait  the  night  before  fishing  ;  so  that 
when  they  come  in  the  morning,  less  than  twelve  hours  after, 
they  find  the  fish  collected  together,  doubtless,  but  gorged 
with  the  worms  so  profusely  provided  for  them,  and  so  close 
to  the  place  where  the  punt-poles  are  to  be  driven  in,  and  the 
punt  or  boat  fixed,  that  the  fish,  startled,  even  if  they  are 


36  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

hungry,  get  shy  of  the  boat  and  retire  to  a  distance.  On  the 
Trent  they  do  not  put  the  bait  into  clay,  but  let  it  scatter  down 
the  stream  ;  and  as  they  fish  a  long  way  from  the  stand  or 
boat,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  barbel  are  not  alarmed  by  the 
proximity  of  the  angler.  Whether  the  angler  fishes  from  a 
stand  on  the  shore,  or  from  a  boat,  the  method  is  the  same. 
The  object  is  to  let  the  hook-bait  travel  over  the  whole  distance 
along  which  the  ground-bait  has  been  scattered,  dragging, 
like  the  ground-bait,  slowly  along  the  bottom.  (For  barbel, 
which  are  a  ground-routing  fish,  the  bait  should  always  touch 
the  bottom.)  Coming,  then,  to  the  spot  which  has  been  baited, 
and  having  determined  the  depth,  so  as  to  let  the  bait  drag 
slightly,  cast  in  some  ten  or  a  dozen  broken  worms,  in  order  to 
set  the  fish  biting  again — taking  care,  of  course,  to  keep  the 
bait  as  much  in  a  fine  as  possible  with  the  spot  which  you  have 
taken  the  depth  of.  The  float  should  be  of  the  sort  used  by  the 
Nottingham  fishers,  and  described  hereafter.  The  hook  should 
be  a  straight  round-bend  worm-hook,  of  about  No.  5  or  6,  and 
tied  upon  fine  but  round  stained  gut.  The  nearest  shot  should 
be  at  least  a  foot  or  fifteen  inches  from  the  hook,  or,  if  it  be 
requisite  that  the  bait  should  drag  much,  even  more  than  that 
distance.  The  bait  should  be  the  tail  of  a  bright-red  well- 
scoured  lob  worm,  neatly  threaded  on  the  hook,  with  barely 
one-third  of  an  inch  of  the  tail  off  the  point  of  the  hook,  which 
should  always  be  thoroughly  covered  and  concealed  in  the  bait. 
Be  sure  that  your  hook-bait  is  always  a  part  of  the  best  and 
liveUest  worm  you  can  select.  Having  baited  the  hook,  drop 
it  into  the  water,  and  allow  it  to  travel  onwards  as  described 
in  Nottingham  fishing. 

Barbel  are  often  taken  with  the  Hghter  appUances  used  in 
roach-fishing,  and  excellent  sport  is  thus  enjoyed.  Should  the 
angler  use  greaves  or  cheese  as  a  bait,  no  change  in  the  style 
of  fishing  is  needed,  save  that  the  cheese  should  drag  on  the 
ground  as  lightly  as  possible,  or  it  will  come  off  the  hook. 

In  fishing  with  a  stationary  bait,  two  plans  are  also  adopted. 
The  first  is  by  the  use  of  the  ledger,  and  the  second  by  the  clay 
ball.  The  ledger  is  composed  of  a  perforated  lead,  usually  a 
good-sized  bullet,  through  which  the  line  runs  freely  ;  a  shot 
being  fastened  on  the  line,  about  two  feet  above  the  hook, 
to  prevent  the  bullet  from  sliding  farther  down  towards  the 
hook.  (See  Plate  I,  Fig.  3,  p.  9.)  In  this  tackle  a  flat  lead 
is  shown,  but  a  perforated  bullet  can  be  used  if  preferred. 

The  hook  for  ledger-fishing  is  generally  a  size  or  so  larger 


THE  STEWART  WORM-TACKLE  37 

than  that  used  for  float-fishing,  and  is  baited  with  a  clean  and 
hvely  lob  worm  :  though  greaves  and  even  gentles  are  some- 
times used  for  a  change,  worms  are  the  greatest  stand  by. 
In  baiting  the  hook,  some  people  take  off  the  head  of  the 
worm,  if  it  be  large,  preferring  only  to  cover  the  hook  well. 
As  I  have  said,  in  baiting  a  barbel  hook  generally,  only  the 
smallest  portion  of  the  tail  of  the  worm  should  be  allowed 
beyond  the  point  of  the  hook.  The  tackle  is  then  swung  and 
pitched  forward  to  the  requisite  distance — i.e.  where  the  fish 
are  supposed  to  be  the  most  plentiful ;  and  the  lead  is  allowed 
to  remain  upon  the  bottom,  a  tight  Une  being  kept  on  it,  so 
that  the  fisherman  may  just  feel  the  lead,  without  Ufting  it 
at  all  from  the  bottom.  The  moment  a  bite  occurs,  the  angler 
will  feel  it,  as  the  line  is  not  checked  at  all  between  the  bullet 
and  the  point  of  the  rod.  At  the  first  touch  he  should  not 
strike,  as  the  barbel  nibbles  a  httle  at  a  stationary  bait ;  but 
when  he  feels  two  or  three  sharp  jogs  at  the  rod-point,  he  may 
strike  upwards  sharply,  as  he  has  to  strike  the  lead  from  the 
bottom,  as  well  as  to  stick  the  hook  into  the  fish.  For  the 
first  half-second  he  should  hold  the  line  firmly,  so  as  to  fix 
the  hook  securely  in  the  fish's  mouth  ;  after  which  he  may 
let  him  run,  if  he  be  a  big  one,  and  play  him  to  the  best  of  his 
abiUty.  The  weight  of  the  lead  will  help  him  much  in  tiring 
the  fish  ;  the  hold  seldom  gives  if  the  hook  be  of  good  size,  as 
the  mouth  of  a  barbel  is  very  leathery  and  tough. 

I  will  now  recommend  a  species  of  tackle  for  this  sort  of 
fishing,  which  I  deem  to  be  very  superior  to  the  single  hook 
usually  employed.  One  of  the  greatest  annoyances  the  angler 
experiences  in  ledgering,  is  the  constant  occurrence  of  nibbles 
or  short  bites,  at  which  he  is  often  induced  to  strike  futilely ; 
the  consequence  of  which  being  that  the  bait  is  torn  or  dis- 
arranged, and  the  hook  so  exposed  that  it  becomes  necessary 
to  draw  it  up  and  bait  afresh.  If  the  fish  are  well-fed  and 
shy,  he  will  get  three  or  four  or  more  nibbles  for  one  bite  : 
and  as  the  bait  is  a  rather  long  and  large  one,  and  the  hook 
likewise,  it  is  useless  to  strike  unless  the  fish  has  it  in  his 
mouth.  Let  the  angler  then  adopt  the  Stewart  worm- 
tackle,  shown  in  Plate  IX,  Fig.  2,  page  211,  consisting 
of  three  small  fly-hooks  tied  on  one  above  the  other,  at  in- 
tervals of  half  an  inch  or  so — (the  hooks  should  be  rather 
larger  and  stouter  than  those  used  for  trout) — and  let  him 
fix  his  worm  on  these  and  strike  at  every  nibble,  and  the 
result   will  astonish   your  Thames  puntsman  considerably. 


38  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

Indeed,  by  laying  the  rod  down  and  stopping  the  reel,  the  fish 
as  often  as  not  will  hook  themselves.  After  catching  a  few 
fish,  whether  by  float  or  ledger,  if  the  fish  go  off  biting  a  little, 
throw  in  two  or  three  broken  worms  to  set  them  on  the  feed 
again  ;  but  the  angler  must  beware  of  overfeeding  them 
while  the  fish  are  biting,  as  many  a  day's  sport  is  spoilt  by  this 
foolish  habit. 

The  next  stationary  way  of  fishing  is  by  what  is  called  the 
clay  ball.  This  plan  is  used  chiefly  from  a  punt  or  boat,  and 
is  often  successful  in  clear  water  ;  it  is  employed,  too,  chiefly 
when  gentles  or  greaves  are  used  as  a  bait,  about  half  a  dozen 
gentles  or  a  small  piece  of  greaves  being  stuck  on  a  perch- 
hook.  About  a  foot  or  more  above  the  hook,  a  little  bit  of 
stick,  of  about  an  inch  in  length,  is  fastened  cross-wise  ; 
this  is  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  ball  on  the  line.  A  lump 
of  stiff  clay,  of  the  size  of  an  orange,  is  then  taken,  and  some 
gentles  being  enclosed  in  it,  it  is  worked  up  with  bran  over  the 
piece  of  stick  on  to  the  line.  The  gut  between  the  ball  and  the 
hook  is  then  wound  round  the  ball  and  drawn  into  the  clay, 
which  is  squeezed  and  worked  over  it,  so  that  only  the  hook 
shall  protrude  beyond  the  proper  end  of  the  ball,  which  is 
then  dropped  to  the  bottom — the  hook  with  the  gentles  show- 
ing just  outside  the  ball,  in  the  most  attractive  way  (see 
Plate  11.  Figs.  8  and  9,  p.  49).  Soon  the  gentles  in  the  clay 
force  their  way  out,  and  the  fish  taking  them  from  the  ball, 
almost  invariably  take  those  on  the  hook  also ;  the  angler 
strikes  when  he  feels  a  bite,  which  he  does  almost  as  easily 
as  with  the  ledger,  and  the  strike  shakes  and  breaks  off  the 
clay  ball,  leaving  the  line  free  to  play  the  fish.  Some  anglers, 
to  make  the  lure  more  deceptive,  enclose  the  hook  in  the  clay 
ball  and  let  the  fish  dig  it  out,  but  it  is  not  necessary  ;  a  stoutish 
rod  and  tackle  are  required.  This  is  a  very  killing  plan,  when 
the  fish  are  biting  shyly  ;  but  it  cannot,  of  course,  be  practised 
far  from  the  punt  or  boat. 

The  French  fish  somewhat  in  this  style,  using  a  short 
piece  of  whalebone  or  stick,  of  some  eighteen  inches  long, 
instead  of  a  rod,  and  playing  the  fish,  when  hooked,  with  the 
hands.  The  tackle  they  use  is  of  course  stout.  They  weld  up 
horse-dung  with  the  clay  ball,  which  is  supposed  to  render 
it  more  attractive.  I  have  seen  a  Frenchman  make  some 
very  good  takes  of  barbel  in  this  way,  with  about  twelve 
feet  of  water-cord,  and  the  half  of  an  old  umbrella  rib.  The 
slightest  bite  is  felt  very  distinctly  with  this  apparatus. 


I 


A  LONG  FIGHT  39 

Though  cheese  is  often  used  in  float-fishing,  it  is  more 
often  so  used  for  chub  (which  are  particularly  fond  of  cheese) 
than  barbel.  The  cheese  used  on  the  Trent  and  in  the  midland 
counties  is  made  of  skim-milk,  and  without  salt  ;  it  must  be 
cut  into  small  pieces,  of  the  size  of  a  small  gooseberry.  As  at 
every  strike  or  two  the  bait  requires  to  be  renewed,  when  other 
baits  can  be  obtained  it  is  not  much  in  favour.  Barbel  also 
takes  greaves  well,  and  likewise  gentles  ;  both  may  be  used 
either  with  float  or  ledger.  Barbel,  particularly  the  larger 
ones,  may,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  often  be  taken  with  a 
spinning  bait,  when  the  angler  is  spinning  for  trout,  in  weir- 
pools  and  such  rough  water.  I  have  known  many  large  ones 
caught  thus,  and  one  of  above  fifteen  pounds  was  taken  years 
back  by  poor  old  Bill  Wisdom,  at  Hampton  Court  weir  on 
the  Thames.  Still  they  cannot  be  called  a  predaceous  fish. 
Another  bait  which  answers  well  for  them  is  a  piece  of  a 
lampern  ;  this  is  a  killing  bait  in  November,  when  the  lamperns 
are  running — the  ground-bait  being  the  head,  blood,  and 
intestines  of  lamperns.  I  have,  with  the  ledger,  made  some 
very  fine  takes  with  this  bait,  once  taking  many  heavy  fish, 
my  first  four  being  five,  six,  eight,  and  twelve  pounds  re- 
spectively. It  is  not  often  used,  however,  as  the  barbel 
retires  to  winter-quarters  at  the  first  smart  frost,  and  the 
lamperns  seldom  run  in  any  numbers  until  a  frost  or  two 
has  occurred. 

Fishing  for  barbel  with  fine  roach  tackle  is,  however, 
certainly  productive  of  the  most  sport,  though  it  is  not  the 
way  to  make  a  large  bag  ;  for,  if  the  angler  be  using  fine 
roach  tackle,  and  hooks  a  good  fish,  he  may  waste  an  hour 
or  an  hour  and  a  half  over  him,  and  then  lose  him  after 
all,  as  I  have  done  scores  of  times.  I  always  fished  with 
single  hair  formerly,  when  float-fishing  from  a  punt,  and 
have  killed  very  many  barbel  of  four  and  five  pounds  weight 
with  it ;  but  so  much  time  and  so  many  fish  were  lost  at  it, 
that  J  have  long  discontinued  it.  I  once  remember,  many 
years  since,  hooking  an  apparently  large  fish  on  single  hair, 
about  five  o'clock  one  November  afternoon.  I  played  him 
for  a  long  time  until  my  arm  grew  tired,  when  I  handed  the 
rod  to  a  friend  who  was  with  me.  He  tired,  and  handed  the 
rod  to  Wisdom,  who  in  turn,  gave  it  back  to  me.  They  both 
despaired  of  our  ever  kilhng  the  fish,  and  set  his  weight  at  a 
dozen  pounds  at  least.  "  He'll  take  you  all  night,  sir,"  said 
Wisdom.    "  Then  I'll  stop  with  him  all  night,  if  he  does  not 


40  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

break  me,  for  I  never  have  been  able  to  kill  one  of  these  big 
ones  with  a  single  hair,"  was  my  reply.  I  had  often  on  the 
same  spot  hooked  three  or  four  of  these  monsters  in  a  morning, 
but  I  never  could  kill  one  of  them.  They  always  got  away, 
for  not  far  below  us  was  a  large  deep  hole,  full  of  snags,  old 
roots,  and  rubbish  ;  and  sooner  or  later  they  always  remem- 
bered their  hold  there,  and  dashed  into  it  headlong.  Even 
stout  ledger-tackle  would  hardly  have  held  them,  and  that 
they  were  were  very  shy  at,  preferring  the  single  hair  greatly. 
This  hole  was  about  fifty  yards  below  us,  and  I  constantly 
expected  the  fish  would  make  for  it.  However,  though  he 
made  constant  runs,  he  never  cared  to  go  above  half  the 
distance,  but  sheered  about,  now  out  in  the  stream  and  now 
in  towards  the  campshot.*  It  had  long  been  dark,  and  he 
showed  no  symptoms  of  tiring,  though  he  had  in  turn  tired 
all  of  us.  Pla5dng  a  fish  in  the  dark  is  awkward  work,  so  we 
hailed  some  men,  several  of  whom,  attracted  by  the  report 
of  our  having  hooked  "  a  big  un,"  were  standing  on  the  bank, 
to  bring  us  a  couple  of  lanthorns  and  some  hot  brandy  and 
water,  for  it  was  bitterly  cold  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  the 
lanthorns  we  at  length  managed  to  get  the  net  under  the 
fish  and  lifted  him  out.  It  was  half-past  eight  when  he  was 
landed,  so  that  I  had  had  him  on  three  and  a  half  hours. 
And  now  what  does  the  reader  think  he  weighed  ?  I  was 
disgusted  to  find  that  he  was  only  a  six  and  a  half  pound 
fish ;  had  I  known  it,  I  would  have  broken  from  him  hours 
before ;  but  it  turned  out  that  he  was  hooked  by  the  back- 
fin,  and  his  head  being  perfectly  free,  of  course  he  played  as 
heavily  as  a  fish  of  double  the  size ;  and  even  now,  remem- 
bering what  the  stream  was,  I  wonder  how  I  did  succeed  in 
landing  him,  as  a  fish  so  hooked,  having  his  broadside  opposed 
to  the  water,  has  great  power  of  resistance.  Indeed,  I  consider 
that  the  accomplishment  was  equal  to  killing  a  fish  of  double 
the  weight  if  fairly  hooked.  The  feat  may  sound  incredible 
— three  hours  and  a  half  with  only  a  single  horsehair,  a  fin- 
hooked  fish,  and  a  heavy  stream — nevertheless  it  is  strictly 
true.  Had  the  hold  been  in  the  mouth  instead  of  the  hard, 
tough  fin,  it  would  probably  have  cut  out  in  half  the  time. 
Now  I  give  this  piece  of  advice  to  all  anglers  who  may  be 
fishing  from  a  punt  with  roach  tackle,  and  who  chance  to 

*  "  The  campshot,"  as  it  is  termed  on  the  Thames,  is  the  wooden  boarding 
and  piling  that  keeps  up  the  bank  of  the  river.  In  places  where  it  gets  old 
and  broken,  it  makes  a  famous  harbour  for  fish. — F.  F. 


c 


tWE  WEIGHT  OF  BARBEL  41 


took  a  big  one,  and  it  is  a  wrinkle  worth  remembering.  Let 
the  punt  go  from  the  poles  and  get  below  him  if  you  can, 
before  he  knows  what  he  is  about,  so  as  to  lead  him  down- 
stream as  far  from  his  hold  (and  big  fish  always  have  one) 
as  possible.  For  if  you  continue  to  play  him  about  the  spot 
where  you  hooked  him,  sooner  or  later  he  will  make  a  bolt 
to  his  hold,  when  you  may  wish  him  good-bye.  Therefore, 
get  him,  if  possible,  to  travel  into  a  strange  country,  when, 
if  the  bottom  be  fairly  clear  and  the  hold  good,  you  may 
easily  reduce  it  to  a  question  of  patience. 

There  is  one  more  way  of  catching  barbel  which  is  not  at 
all  a  general  one,  but  it  is  perhaps  the  most  sporting  way 
of  any,  and  certainly  in  the  hands  of  an  adept  it  is  a  very 
killing  way.  The  plan  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  pursued 
by  trout  fishers  with  the  worm  in  rather  heavy  waters.  Use 
a  large  hook,  or  a  Stewart's  tackle,  with  three  or  four  swan 
shot,  or  a  pistol  bullet,  cast  up-stream,  and  let  the  line  come 
down,  the  lead  and  bait  travelling  naturally  along  the  bottom, 
and  the  angler  striking  by  feeling  the  bite  as  in  worming  for 
trout.  I  have  heard  of  famous  sport  being  gained  in  this 
way  with  fine  tackle,  and  that  in  weather  when  other  modes 
failed.    I  have  never  tried  it,  however. 

The  largest  barbel  I  ever  took  or  saw  taken  weighed  a 
Uttle  over, twelve  pounds,  and  was  taken  on  the  ledger  with 
lampern  bait,  as  noted  above.  I  have  seen  scores  of  ten  and 
even  eleven  pound  fish,  but  an  honest  twelve  pounder  is 
decidedly  rare  in  the  Thames.  One  hears  of  twelve  pounders 
often,  but  one  does  not  see  them  weighed,  and  Thames  water, 
from  its  strong  magnifying  powers,  should  be  used  for  micro- 
scopes. 


CHAPTER  II 

BOTTOM-FISHIN  G—continiied 

Nottingham  Angling — Casting  from  the  Reel — Daceing — Light  Corking — 
The  Slider,  etc. 

HAVING  spoken  of  the  Nottingham  style  of  fishing, 
it  may  be  as  well  here  to  give  some  idea  of  its 
method  and  the  means  and  apphances  required 
for  it.  In  the  first  place,  then,  as  to  tackle, 
Nottingham  reels  differ  widely  from  those  commonly  em- 
ployed ;  they  are  usually  made  of  wood  and  in  two  pieces, 
the  barrel  of  the  reel  upon  which  the  line  is  wound  turning 
on  a  spindle  fixed  in  the  centre  of  the  portion  which  forms 
the  immovable  part  of  the  reel.  This  is  contrived  so  that  the 
barrel  shall  run  with  the  utmost  freedom  at  the  hghtest  touch. 
These  reels  were  invented  chiefly  for  bank-fishing,  where  it  is 
required  to  cast  out  a  long  line.  In  the  fashion  pursued  by 
the  fishermen  who  require  to  cast  a  long  line  on  the  Thames, 
for  ledgering  or  spinning  more  particularly,  the  line  is  drawn 
off  the  reel  and  laid  loosely  in  coils  at  the  fisherman's  feet, 
unless  he  be  dexterous  enough  to  gather  it  up  in  the  palm 
of  the  left  hand  as  some  do,  and  such  a  practice  would  not 
do  where  the  angler  is  walking  along  the  bank  of  a  river,  or 
fishing  haply  from  a  withy  or  reed  bed,  for  his  line  would  be 
constantly  catching  in  twigs,  thorns,  or  particles  of  rubbish, 
and  a  tangle  at  the  rings  would  be  inevitable  at  every  cast. 
Added  to  this,  the  Nottingham  style  of  float-fishing  absolutely 
requires  the  finest  and  hghtest  silk  running-hne  made,  and 
the  line  used  for  float-fishing  is  of  Derby  twist,  scarcely  coarser 
than  common  netting-silk.  This  would,  if  laid  in  coils,  or 
gathered  in  the  hand,  tangle  up  into  inextricable  knots  ; 
consequently  it  is  required  to  run  off  the  reel,  and  with  the 
utmost  exemption  from  friction — for  if  there  were  much 
friction  it  would  not  run  at  all.  Indeed,  such  is  the  freedom 
of  these  reels,  that  more  often  than  not,  in  throwing  a  heavy 

42 


NOTTINGHAM  TACKLE  43 

tackle  or  letting  out  long  line,  it  is  requisite  to  moderate  their 
pace.  As  the  right  hand  is  engaged  in  holding  the  rod,  this 
is  effected  by  the  pressure  of  the  fore-finger  of  the  left  hand 
on  the  edge  or  circumference  of  the  revolving  reel,  according 
as  the  pace  is  required  to  be  regulated,  while  by  increasing 
the  pressure  the  run  of  the  line  may  be  stopped  altogether. 
If  this  precaution  be  not  taken,  the  reel,  when  in  full  impetus, 
turns  round  so  much  faster  than  the  line  runs  out  through 
the  rings,  that  it  is  apt  to  overrun  the  hne,  and  a  sad  tangle 
is  the  result.  This  part  of  the  operation  requires  practice — 
and  a  good  deal  of  practice.  Indeed,  the  whole  system  is 
much  more  difficult  than  the  one  in  ordinary  use  on  the 
Thames ;  but  to  compensate  for  this  it  is  much  neater  and 
more  deadly  when  once  acquired. 

The  equipment  of  the  Nottingham  roach  and  dace-fisher 
will  be  as  follows  :  Rod,  light  and  springy,  more  flexible 
than  a  Thames  punt-rod,  but  not  so  flexible  as  a  fly-rod — 
almost  midway  between  the  two — about  twelve  or  thirteen 
feet  long,  and  not  too  heavy  for  one  hand,  and  with  small 
upright  rings  ;  a  wooden  reel  with  seventy  or  eighty  yards 
of  the  finest  Derby  twist  on  it ;  a  tackle  of  very  fine  gut 
of  about  four  or  five  feet  in  length.  The  hook  used  is  usually 
of  the  straight  round-bend  pattern,  as  the  worm  is  more  often 
used  than  any  other  bait  ;  the  size  of  course  will  be  pro- 
portioned to  the  fish — that  for  dace,  roach,  etc.,  being  equal 
to  a  No.  8.  The  float  is  composed  solely  of  some  eight  inches 
of  a  good  sound  goose-quill,  the  top  of  which  is  painted  to 
make  it  watertight,  the  bottom  having  a  ring  whipped  on  to 
it  for  the  line  to  pass  through.  The  float  has  no  caps,  as  being 
usually  attached  to  the  running  Hne  (instead  of  to  the  tackle 
as  in  the  Thames  fishing)  it  is  fastened  on  with  two  half 
hitches.  This  float  carries  about  from  four  to  six  BB  shot, 
the  lowest  of  which  is  a  good  foot  above  the  hook,  so  as  to 
allow  the  bait  to  drag  for  some  inches  on  the  bottom  without 
catching  ;  the  others  are  placed  at  intervals  of  six  inches  or 
so  up  the  tackle.  This  is  far  better  and  less  visible,  and  the 
line  swims  straighter  and  less  wavily  in  the  water  than  in  the 
Thames  plan,  where  the  shot  are  all  crowded  together  at 
one  spot  (some  six  or  eight  inches  above  the  hook).  With 
this  tackle  Trent  anglers  fish  for  roach,  dace,  perch,  gudgeon, 
chub,  and  bream,  and  in  a  light  or  slow  water  gccasionally  for 
barbel ;  though  for  regular  barbel-fishing  in  the  heavy  streams, 
■Bhey  have  a  set  of  heavier  apparatus  altogether,  which  is 


44  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

called  "  light  corking  tackle,"  because  they  use  for  it  their 
lightest  cork  float ;  the  one  above  described  being  but  a  quill. 
The  barbel  float  has  an  elongated  cork  body,  more  or  less 
bulky,  supplemented  over  it. 

Now,  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  a  Nottingham  fisherman 
is,  not  to  let  the  fish  see  or  hear  him,  and  therefore  he  fishes 
as  far  from  them  as  he  reasonably  can.  Walking  along  the 
bank  of  a  river,  if  he  has  not  already  selected  a  swim,  he 
fixes  upon  a  spot  that  looks  likely  to  yield  sport.  He  decides 
to  fish  at  a  certain  distance  from  the  shore  where  the  stream 
is  steady  and  not  too  strong,  and  the  water  apparently  of 
the  right  depth.  The  first  thing  is  to  ascertain  how  deep  it 
really  is.  A  London  angler  would  drop  in  a  lump  of  lead 
and  work  it  about  up  and  down  all  over  the  swim,  thereby 
scaring  the  fish  to  commence  with.  But  the  Nottingham 
man  avoids  this  ;  he  adjusts  his  float  at  what  he  supposes  to 
be  about  the  right  depth,  casts  his  tackle  out  to  the  exact 
distance  from  the  shore  at  which  he  intends  to  fish,  and 
allows  his  float  to  drift  down  the  stream.  If  it  floats  in  quite 
an  upright  position  without  the  slightest  symptom  of  dragging, 
the  line  is  too  short,  and  the  depth  below  the  float  must  be 
increased.  If  the  float  bob  under,  the  shots  are  on  the  ground, 
and  the  line  must  be  shortened  below  the  float,  and  so  on. 
Thus  after  four  or  five  swims  are  tried  he  hits,  by  judgment, 
the  right  depth,  which  is  for  the  worm  to  trip  or  drag  slightly 
over  the  bottom  without  the  shot  coming  in  contact  with  it, 
for  if  the  worm  be  properly  hooked,  and  the  bottom  not  foul, 
the  tackle  will  nearly  always  carry  the  worm  with  it ;  should 
it  hang,  the  slightest  raising  of  the  rod-point  will  loosen  it. 

Having  found  the  depth  of  the  water  opposite  to  him,  he 
proceeds  to  try  it  for  the  whole  length  of  the  swim — for  a 
Nottingham  angler's  swim  is  often  from  a  dozen  to  twenty 
yards  in  length  ;  sometimes  it  does  not  commence  until  the 
float  is  almost  that  distance  from  him,  the  intermediate 
water  being  a  cautionary  compliment  to  the  fish's  sharpness 
of  sight  and  sensation.  Of  course,  having  taken  up  the 
position  or  line  of  swim,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  which  he 
means  his  float  to  travel  over,  it  is  expedient  to  keep  in  that 
line,  and  it  is  there  his  ground-bait  will  be  cast,  and  a  few 
feet  outside  or  inside  of  it  will  be  so  far  from  the  fish.  Con- 
siderable nicety  of  judgment  is  required  to  keep  to  this. 
Having  now  to  try  the  swim  the  whole  length,  and  having 
pitched  his  tackle  out  to  the  requisite  distance,  he  lowers  the 


I 


NOTTINGHAM  ANGLING  45 

point  of  the  rod  until  it  slightly  incHnes  from  the  thigh  towards 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  follows  the  float  (with  neither 
too  free  nor  too  tight  a  line)  with  the  point  of  the  rod  until 
the  float  has  all  the  Une  he  can  give  from  the  rod-point  with 
it  down-stream.  Now  comes  the  nicer  part  of  the  operation, 
and  that  is  to  give  off  Une  from  the  reel  so  Ughtly  and  con- 
tinuously that  it  shall  run  freely  through  the  rings  and  never 
check  the  swim  of  the  float.  This  is  done  by  keeping  the  reel 
turning  fast  or  slow  in  exact  accordance  with  the  requirements 
of  the  stream,  working  it  by  quick,  short  touches  from  a  left- 
hand  finger  on  the  edge  or  circumference  of  the  wheel. 

If,  in  going  down  the  swim,  the  angler  finds  that  it  deepens 
off  very  much,  or  that  there  is  too  much  of  a  rise  or  hill,  or 
that  the  bottom  is  foul,  he  has  nothing  for  it  but  to  choose 
another  swim. 

Supposing  that  he  has  at  length  found  a  swim  sufiiciently 
level  throughout  and  to  his  mind,  he  then  breaks  up  four  or 
five  worms  into  very  small  pieces  and  throws  them  in  well 
above  the  swim,  calculating  carefully  whereabouts  they  are 
likely  to  ground  ;  and  here  again  is  a  point  that  requires 
practice  and  judgment,  because  if  thrown  in  too  high  up  the 
stream  the  bait  grounds  too  soon,  and  the  fish  are  drawn  up 
out  of  the  swim.  If  too  low,  then  the  reverse  happens.  The 
great  object  is  to  fish  over  your  ground-bait ;  and  for  this 
purpose  you  must  observe  not  only  the  latitude  of  the  swim, 
but  the  longitude  also.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  in  this 
than  many  suppose  ;  and  many  an  indifferent  day's  sport  has 
no  doubt  been  ascribed  to  any  other  cause  but  the  right  one, 
in  consequence  of  neglect  or  miscalculation  of  this  important 
point.  Having  ascertained  that  the  bottom  of  the  swim  is 
tolerably  clear  of  obstruction,  and  thrown  in  bait,  etc.,  the 
angler  commences  his  swim,  but  first  it  may  happen  that  the 
swim  he  has  selected  is  some  two  rods'  lengths  from  the 
shore  (roach  and  dace  swims  are  seldom  more,  though  barbel, 
of  course,  will  lie  in  the  heavier  streams,  more  towards  the 
centre  of  the  river).  Now,  suppose  the  angler's  swim  to  be, 
let  us  say,  twenty  feet  from  the  spot  he  stands  on  ;  the  length 
of  his  rod  being  twelve  or  thirteen  feet,  he  may  take  nine  or 
ten  feet  for  the  rod,  or  perhaps  a  little  less  ;  the  depth  of  the 
water  is  five  feet ;  so  that,  supposing  his  bait  to  hang  at  the 
full  length  of  the  rod — which  is  as  much  line  as  he  will  be 
able  to  swing  out,  and  probably  more — his  float  will  be  some 
half-way  up  the  rod,  and  there  will  be  but  five  feet  of  line  to 


46  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

add  to  the  ten  feet  allowed  for  the  rod ;  but  he  wants  to  get 
the  float  five  or  six  feet  farther  out — how  is  it  to  be  done  ? 
The  tackle  is  dace  tackle,  and  is  therefore  too  light  to  cast 
from  the  reel,  for  with  such  a  hght  weight  the  reel  would  not 
revolve  ;  he  cannot  place  any  hne  on  the  grass  at  his  feet, 
nor  allow  any  to  hang  loose  from  the  reel,  because  a  hne  so 
light  as  the  fine  Derby  twist  would  inevitably  twist  up  and 
tangle,  and  it  would  catch  at  the  first  ring ;  so,  to  overcome 
all  these  difficulties,  he  with  the  left  hand  takes  hold  of  the 
running  line  above  the  first  rod-ring,  draws  as  much  as  he 
requires  off  the  reel,  and  holds  it  away  from  his  left  side 
(farther  from  or  nearer  to  his  body  as  the  case  may  require), 
thus  keeping  the  spare  line  that  is  to  run  through  the  rings 
straight  and  tight,  so  that  it  cannot  tangle.  While  doing  this 
he  will  find  it  necessary  to  hold  the  rod  close  to  the  reel,  so  that 
the  hand  which  holds  it  may  be  pressed  against  the  reel  to 
prevent  it  from  turning  round  and  loosening  the  line.  Then 
poising  the  rod  clear  of  his  body  on  the  right  side,  he  gives 
his  bait  and  tackle  the  requisite  swing  towards  the  point  he 
desires  to  reach ;  as  he  makes  the  swing  he  relinquishes  his 
hold  on  the  hne  in  his  left  hand,  and  the  spare  hne  goes  clear 
and  fairly  through  the  rings  without  tangle  or  catch.  (See 
Plate  IX,  Fig.  i,  p.  211.)  By  extending  his  left  hand  farther 
out  and  away  from  his  side  he  can  increase  the  quantity 
of  spare  line  up  to  a  certain  point.  Should  he  require  more 
still,  he  will  have  to  take  hold  of  the  line  above  the  second 
ring  instead  of  the  first,  or  even  if  need  be  the  third  or  fourth, 
and  so  on,  and  thus  he  will  be  able  to  get  out  sufficient  line 
safely  to  enable  him  to  cast  his  tackle  without  catch  or  tangle 
to  almost  any  reasonable  distance  he  may  require  for  roach 
and  dace-fishing.* 

We  will  suppose  that  the  float  is  cast  to  its  destination, 
which  should  be  a  little  up-stream  from  where  the  angler  is 
standing,  with  the  point  of  the  rod  raised  always  if  possible 
above  or  up-stream  of  the  float,  and  just  so  much  as  to  keep  a 
moderately  tight  line,  not  sufficient  to  hft  or  check  the  float 
(for  if  this  happens  the  float  is  drawn  inwards  towards  the 
bank,  and  probably  out  of  the  swim),  but  sufficiently  to 
enable  the  angler  to  strike  the  instant  he  perceives  a  bite, 
and  without  having  any  bagged  or  slack  hne.  Following  the 
float  with  the  point  of  the  rod,  and  lowering  the  point  until 

*  This  style  of  casting  the  bait  will  be  found  most  useful  to  the  trout- 
fisher  when  wading  and  spinning  a  minnow  or  casting  a  worm. — F.  F. 


Ifr>: 


LIGHT  CORKING  "  47 


1  the  line  he  can  give  is  given,  the  angler  then  applies  his 
left  hand  to  the  reel  and  turns  it  gently  as  before  described, 
giving  off  line  as  it  is  required,  but  not  faster,  nor  yet  so 
slowly  as  to  check  the  float.  The  instant  he  sees  a  bite  he 
strikes  sharply,  but  not  too  heavily,  up-stream,  and,  having 
hooked  his  fish,  winds  on  him  with  the  reel  until  he  gets  him 
well  under  the  rod-point.  Faihng  in  getting  a  bite,  he  allows 
the  float  to  travel  down-stream  fifteen,  twenty,  or  even  more, 
yards  until  he  is  sure  that  he  has  completely  covered  the 
space  where  the  ground-bait  is  likely  to  be — when  he  strikes, 
winds  up  the  spare  fine,  poises  the  rod,  draws  off  the  requisite 
quantity,  and  repeats  his  cast.  If  he  has  half  a  dozen  full 
swims  without  a  bite  he  usually  considers  there  are  no  fish 
there,  and  goes  on  to  another  spot.  But  if  the  place  looks 
so  favourable  as  to  tempt  him  further  he  may  perhaps  try 
the  experiment  of  two  or  three  more  worms  broken  up.  Usually, 
however,  he  is  not  induced  to  commit  such  extravagance. 
If  he  gets  a  fish  or  two,  or  a  bite  or  two,  he  then  breaks  up  a 
few  more  worms  at  the  first  pause  in  the  biting  and  keeps  to 
his  swim,  only  repeating  the  dose  when  the  fish  begin  to 
slacken  in  their  biting.  A  dozen  worms  will  often  be  all  the 
ground-bait  he  will  use  in  a  pitch  which  may  give  him  as 
many,  or  even  double  as  many,  fish. 

The  hook-bait  in  this  kind  of  fishing  is  usually  a  small 
red  worm,  though  scratching  (as  they  term  greaves  on  the 
Trent)  is  used  when  worms  are  not  to  be  had.  One  great 
point  the  Nottingham  angler  pays  the  utmost  attention  to 
is,  that  all  his  worms  shall  be  thoroughly  sweet  and  scoured, 
and  as  lively  as  possible. 

Having  now  described  this  method  of  fishing,  it  will  be 
seen  that  a  fine  line  is  of  the  first  necessity  to  it.  It  does  not 
sink  in  the  water,  but  lies  Ughtly  on  the  surface,  so  that  the 
strike  is  not  impeded  in  any  way.  It  sucks  up  very  little  water, 
too,  and  soon  dries ;  and  beyond  this  it  runs  off  the  reel 
much  more  freely  than  a  thicker  line  would.  So  far  there  is 
every  advantage  in  favour  of  it ;  but  if  it  rains,  and  the  line, 
rod,  and  rings  get  wet,  it  becomes  very  diflicult  to  get  the 
light  line  to  run,  even  by  the  most  assiduous  wiping ;  and 
if  there  be  a  strong  contrary  wind,  it  is  difficult  to  fish  satis- 
factorily. 

If  he  goes  for  barbel-fishing  the  angler  generally  uses  a 
rod  and  tackle  a  trifle  heavier  and  larger.  This  is  called 
**  light  corking,"  because  the  float  used  is  a  light  cork  one. 


48  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

This  will  carry  sufficient  weight  to  enable  the  tackle  to  be 
cast  off  the  reel.*  It  will  be  evident  that  the  angler  has 
here  no  need  to  draw  off  Hne  in  the  left  hand  as  in  dace- 
fishing.  In  roving  for  barbel  the  process  is  similar  to  that 
for  roach  and  dace,  but  larger  worms  are  used,  and  the  tail 
of  a  nice  hvely  lob  is  placed  upon  a  hook  some  two  or  three 
sizes  larger.  Roving  for  barbel  is  not  often  resorted  to  if 
the  angler  can  manage  to  bait  a  pitch  the  day  before.  Indeed, 
in  order  to  increase  the  chance  of  sport,  it  is  not  unusual  to 
bait  two  or  three  days  before  and  to  repeat  the  baitings  at 
some  twenty  or  twenty-four  hours'  interval  two  or  three 
times. 

It  will  often  happen  that  the  hole  or  swim  to  be  fished  is 
some  distance  from  the  shore  and  is  deeper  than  can  be  con- 
veniently cast  from  the  rod — deeper,  perhaps,  than  the 
length  of  the  rod.  When  this  is  the  case  a  float  called  "  a 
slider  "  is  used.  The  slider,  as  may  be  supposed  from  its 
name,  is  not  a  fixed  float,  it  has  a  ring  at  the  top  and  another 
at  the  bottom,  standing  out  sideways  so  that  the  line  may 
travel  freely  through  them.  To  use  this  float,  it  is  shpped 
on  the  line  through  both  rings,  and  finds  its  resting-place 
upon  the  uppermost  shot  of  the  sinkers.  When  it  is  dropped 
into  the  water  it  floats  in  its  proper  position,  but  the  sinkers 
carry  the  bait  to  the  bottom,  drawing  line  enough  for  that 
purpose  with  them  down  through  the  float  rings.  Now,  the 
depth  having  been  carefully  plumbed  previously,  is  marked 
on  the  line  by  the  tying  on  of  a  little  fragment  of  india-rubber 
elastic,  which  offers  just  enough  resistance  to  prevent  the 
line  running  any  farther  than  is  requisite  through  the  small 
float  rings,  upon  which  therefore  the  bit  of  india-rubber  rests, 
keeping  the  bait  at  the  required  depth  below.  Should  a  fish 
bite,  of  course  the  check  of  the  india-rubber  allows  the  float 
to  be  pulled  down  in  the  usual  way,  but  it  does  not  offer 
sufficient  resistance  to  prevent  either  its  being  wound  up, 

*  This  cast,  however,  is  by  no  means  easy  to  acquire.  Even  the  old 
Thames  spinner  or  ledger-fisher  will  find  it  no  certainty,  and  at  the  com- 
mencement will  very  often  find  his  float  round  his  head,  or  his  rod,  perhaps, 
or  anywhere  but  where  he  wants  it  to  be  ;  but  patience,  practice,  and  perse- 
verance do  much  ;  and  the  chief  direction  to  be  borne  in  mind  is,  to  avoid 
anything  like  a  jerk  :  a  smooth  regular  sweep  is  that  which  has  to  be  prac- 
tised in  the  delivery  or  casting  of  the  tackle.  Having  gently  swung  the 
tackle  backwards,  bring  it  forward  again  with  a  steady  regular  sweep,  and 
release  your  hold  of  the  line  without  any  abrupt  action,  and  keep  the  little 
finger  close  to  the  circumference  of  the  reel  so  as  to  be  able  to  put  on  pressure 
to  prevent  overrunning  of  the  line  or  to  stop  it  altogether,  as  may  be  desired. 

F.  F. 


PLATE     II. 


To  face  Page  49. 


The  Slider  and  other  Floats. 

The  Fishiiiij  Gazette  Float  has  now  taken  the  place  of  that  represented  in  Fig^.  7. 


THE  SLIDER  49 

or  sent  through  the  rod-rings  when  cast.  The  hole  to  be 
fished  may  be  thirty  feet  deep  and  twenty  feet  from  the 
shore,  and  the  rod  but  twelve  feet  long,  yet  by  the  aid  of 
the  sHder  it  can  easily  be  fished.  (See  Plate  II,  Fig.  i,  p.  49.) 
The  slider  is  now  a  good  deal  used  by  Thames  fishermen 
for  traveller-fishing  in  deepish  water,  because  in  playing  a 
good  fish  with  a  fixed  float,  the  float  often  comes  up  to  the 
rod-point  and  prevents  any  more  line  from  being  wound 
in,  whereas  the  slider  slips  down  to  the  uppermost  shot  if 
necessary,  and  always  accommodates  itself  to  the  depth  of 
the  water  ;  besides  which,  if  the  bait  or  tackle  hangs  for  a 
moment  on  the  bottom,  the  raising  of  the  rod-point  brings 
a  direct  action  on  the  line  and  tackle,  and  clears  it  without 
suddenly  checking  and  altering  the  position  of  the  float,  or 
making  a  splash  with  it  which  would  startle  the  sharp-eyed 
fish.  Indeed,  the  sUder  possesses  all  the  qualifications  of 
ordinary  floats,  and  some  which  are  peculiarly  its  own,  of 
which  the  others  are  devoid.  In  adapting  the  Nottingham 
fashion  to  Thames  punt  or  traveller-fishing,  the  slider  is  not 
necessarily  used,  but  a  somewhat  longer  rod  than  the  Notting- 
ham bank-fisher  employs  is  used,  as  the  Thames  punt-fisher 
is  closer  down  to  the  water  and  has  often  a  longer  stretch  of 
line  to  lift  off  the  surface,  as  he  frequently  lets  out  fifty  or 
sixty  yards  of  line  and  strikes  his  fish  at  times  a  long  way  off. 
In  this  kind  of  fishing  the  rod  is  held  and  the  tackle  employed 
in  the  way  that  is  described  in  chub-fishing.* 

♦  I  have  been  told,  since  the  first  edition  of  my  book  was  published,  that 
my  drawing  and  apprehension  of  the  action  of  the  slider  as  respects  the 
position  of  the  bait  is  wrong,  that  the  float  is  so  checked  that  the  bait, 
instead  of  dragging  slightly  somewhat  behind  it,  acquires  precisely  the 
reverse  position,  bending  just  as  much  in  front  of  the  float  as  I  have  shown 
it  behind.  Now  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  this  is  simply  impossible,  for 
no  bait  and  float  could  continue  to  travel  so.  If  the  bait  touches  the  bottom 
at  all,  the  line  must  bulge  or  project  slightly  over  in  front  of  the  hook  and 
bait,  however  slightly  ;  and  if  the  float  be  held  back  so  tightly  that  the  line 
is  kept  back,  and  the  bait  travels  before  the  line,  then  I  aver  that  the  bait 
must  absolutely  be  swept  off  the  bottom  altogether,  and  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  keep  up  such  a  constant  nicety  of  alternate  tension  and  giving 
off  of  line  as  should  keep  the  bait  to  the  bottom,  and  yet  before  the  line 
and  float.  Besides,  so  much  tension  would  draw  the  float  and  bait  nearer 
to  the  bank,  and  therefore  out  of  the  swim  in  most  cases.  The  whole  of  this 
theory  is  founded  upon  a  considerable  misapprehension  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  a  fish  takes  a  bait.  The  idea  is,  that  as  the  line  projects  rather  in  front 
of  the  bait,  it  would  come  in  contact  with  the  fish's  nose  before  the  bait  did, 
and  scare  him.  Now  that  is  supposing  that  every  bait  comes  straight  down 
the  stream  dircctlv  upon  the  fish's  nose.  Let  anyone  stand  upon  a  bridge 
and  look  down  at  fish  feeding,  and  he  will  see  that  nine  baits  out  of  ten  are 
taken  sideways,  the  fish  making  a  side  dart  either  to  one  side  or  the  other. 


I 


50  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

In  ground-baiting  a  pitch,  the  Nottingham  fishermen 
seldom  use  clay  or  any  substance  of  that  kind,  but  break 
up  the  worms  and  cast  them  in  alone.  The  number  used 
runs  from  eight  to  twelve  or  even  fourteen  hundred  as  the 
case  may  require.  They  are  not  distributed  too  widely, 
but  kept  within  the  limits  it  is  desired  to  fish,  and  twenty 
hours  at  least  are  allowed  for  the  ground-bait  to  be  con- 
sumed. Having  baited  their  pitch,  if  the  water  be  low  and 
clear,  they  take  care  when  they  approach  to  fish,  not  to  come 
too  close  to  their  swim  or  to  make  any  disturbance,  but  they 
stand  well  above  the  place  where  they  expect  to  find  the  fish, 
often  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  above  it,  striking  thirty  or  even 
forty  yards  off.  Thus  they  do  not  alarm  the  fish,  but  often 
manage  to  get  good  sport  in  a  water  and  at  a  time  where 
and  when  a  Thames  angler  would  seldom  think  of  fishing  at  all. 

The  principal  baits  they  use  are  worms,  scratching  or 
greaves,  cheese,  and  creed-malt.  In  all  float-fishing  their 
practice  is  superior  to  that  of  the  Thames,  and  this  appears 
to  be  so  much  recognised  now,  that  Nottingham  tackle  and 
that  style  of  fishing  are  very  commonly  adopted,  but  only 
in  punt-fishing.  The  much  more  workmanHke,  scientific, 
and  deadly  method  pursued  by  the  accompHshed  Nottingham 
bank-fisher  is  almost  unknown  to  the  generahty  of  Thames 
anglers,  yet  it  is  quite  high  art  in  float-fishing  from  the  bank, 
and  is  not  at  all  easy  to  perform  well.  I  strongly  recommend 
anglers  who  can  afford  it  to  take  a  turn  on  the  Trent,  and  put 
themselves  under  the  tuition  of  a  Nottingham  adept ;  it 
will  be  money  saved,  as  they  will  be  thereafter  very  independent 
of  punts  and  puntsmen,  and  will  enjoy  the  active  exertion  of 
walking  the  river's  bank  in  preference  to  the  passively 
apoplectic  operation  of  sitting  in  an  arm-chair  with  a  pipe 
and  a  bottle  of  stout  as  a  solatium  for  want  of  sport. 

as  he  sees  a  worm,  grub,  etc.,  passing  him,  and  consequently,  save  once  now 
and  then,  his  nose  would  not  need  to  come  in  contact  with  the  line  at  all. 
The  float  should  be  checked  so  that  as  little  of  the  line  as  possible  should 
touch  the  bottom,  and  only  the  bait  should  drag  to  achieve  perfection  ;  but 
as  to  the  bait  curving  down-stream  and  drifting  along  the  bottom  before 
the  float,  it  is  easier  to  imagine  it  than  to  practise  it. — F.  F. 


CHAPTER  III 

BOTTOM -FISHIN  G— continued 

The  Bream — The  Carp — The  Tench — The  Eel — ^The  Perch — Patemostering, 

etc. 

THE  BREAM  (Abramus  bratna) 

OF  this  lubberly  carp  there  are  two  kinds  known  to 
anglers — the  carp  or  golden  bream  and  the  bream- 
flat  or  silver  bream.*  The  former  is  by  far  the  best 
fish  both  for  size  and  quality,  the  latter  being  of  no 
particular  value  for  the  table,  and  not  reaching  any  great  size, 
seldom  exceeding  one  pound.  The  bream  is  very  widely  dis- 
tributed, and  is  found  alike  in  rivers,  ponds,  and  lakes.  In  rivers 
it  prefers  quiet,  deep  holes  with  a  loamy  or  sandy  bottom.  The 
deepest  holes  in  ponds  are  likewise  those  preferred.  The 
bream  spawns  about  the  latter  end  of  May,  and  takes  some 
time  to  recover  condition.  Bream  are  gregarious,  swimming 
in  large  shoals,  and  when  inclined  to  feed,  vast  numbers  of 
them  may  be  taken,  as,  although  somewhat  of  a  nibbler, 
yet  if  time  is  given  to  him,  the  bream  will  almost  always  take 
the  bait  in  the  end.  If  the  angler  does  not  know,  but  is  desirous 
to  find  out  the  whereabouts  of  a  bream  haunt  in  a  river,  let 
him  watch  the  likely  spots  early  and  late,  and  he  will  see  one 
every  now  and  then  prime  or  rise  up  like  a  large  roach,  but, 
from  some  peculiarity,  the  bream,  when  it  does  this,  almost 
always  leaves  a  large  bubble  on  the  surface,  which  the  roach 
does  not  do.  When  the  angler  notes  a  bubble  or  two  of  this 
sort  left  after  the  priming  of  large  fish,  let  him  watch  the  spot 
narrowly  and  he  may  soon  perhaps  satisfy  his  doubts  as  to 
whether  there  be  bream  there  or  no. 

Bream  have  very  roving  habits,  often  disappearing  without 
any  apparent  reason  from  a  haunt  they  have  affected  for  two 
or  three  years,  and  taking  to  some  other  hole  or  eddy.  In 
my  river  (a  part  of  the  Colne)  I  see  this  peculiarity  often 

*  They  are  distinct  species,  the  breamflat  being  Abramus  blicca. — Ed. 

5' 


52  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

exemplified,  for  they  will  be  in  one  hole  in  a  large  shoal  on  one 
day,  and  on  another  perhaps  half  a  mile  off. 

Having  chosen  a  swim,  the  angler  should  ground-bait  and 
fish  it  after  the  same  method  as  that  directed  for  barbel ; 
and  with  bream,  as  with  barbel,  worms  are  the  best  bait, 
though  they  will  take  gentles  and  other  grubs.  The  hook 
used  should  be  a  size  or  two  smaller  than  that  employed  for 
barbel,  as  the  bream  likes  a  smaller  bait ;  but  in  other  respects 
the  tackle  and  method  are  similar.  Bream  may  often  by 
baiting  be  drawn  out  of  their  deep  holes  into  the  more  manage- 
able barbel-swims,  and  when  this  is  the  case  both  may  be  taken 
together ;  but  if  the  holes  can  be  fished  by  any  means,  the 
take  will  be  both  larger  and  more  certain.  To  fish  them 
properly,  however,  is  often  difficult,  and  when  ledger-fishing 
under  these  circumstances  it  is  advisable  to  fasten  a  hook  on 
the  ledger  gut  about  six  inches  above  the  lead,  so  that  there 
may  be  one  hook  on  the  bottom  for  the  barbel  and  one  just 
off  it  for  the  bream,  as  the  latter  is  scarcely  such  a  ground- 
router  as  the  former. 

The  finer  the  angler  can  fish  for  bream  the  better.  Indeed, 
whether  for  bream  or  barbel,  his  tackle  never  should  be  a  shot 
heavier  than  the  stream  requires  to  ride  the  float  well  and 
steadily.  In  ponds,  or  in  still  quiet  eddies,  the  angler  will 
often  find  that  the  bream  will  lift  and  throw  the  float  flat 
upon  the  water.  The  reason  of  this,  I  imagine,  is  that  the 
bream  is  a  round-shaped,  round-bellied  fish,  and  when  it 
picks  up  the  bait  and  then  assumes  its  natural  position  to 
eat  it,  although  the  belly  of  the  fish  may  touch  the  ground, 
the  head  and  tail  are  some  distance  off  it,  and  hence  the  shots 
and  sinkers  are  lifted,  and  the  float,  instead  of  being  pulled 
down,  is  thrown  up.  When  hooked  in  still,  deep  water,  the 
bream  has  a  disagreeable  knack  of  boring  head  down,  and 
rubbing  and  chafing  the  fine  with  its  side  and  tail,  so  that 
the  line  often  comes  up  for  a  foot  above  the  hook  covered 
with  slime.  When  hooked  in  a  stream  after  the  first  rush  it 
soon  turns  on  its  side  and  comes  in  easily.  Bream  run  to  a 
good  weight,  six  or  seven  pounds  being  not  very  uncommon, 
while  occasionally  they  have  been  caught  of  fourteen  or 
fifteen  pounds  weight. 

In  some  of  our  lakes,  particularly  in  Ireland,  as  Loughs 
Neagh,  Conn,  Corrib,  and  Erne,  especially  the  latter,  the 
abundance  of  bream  exceeds  all  belief,  many  cartloads  being 
often  taken  in  one  sweep  of  the  nets.    Bream  bite  pretty  well 


THE  CARP  53 


^■unng  the  summer,  more  particularly  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  but  as  a  rule  they  take  more  freely  towards  autumn. 
The  carp-bream  are  eatable.  Some  anglers  say  they  are  really 
good  fish  :  perhaps  split,  salted,  and  dried  is  the  best  way  of 
eating  them.*  There  is  an  old  proverb  among  the  French  to  the 
effect  that  "  He  who  hath  bream  in  his  pond  may  bid  his  friend 
welcome."  I  fancy,  "  to  a  day's  fishing  "  should  have  been 
added,  as  I  do  not  think  even  French  cookery  could  find  any- 
thing worth  eulogising  in  a  pond-bream,  which  is  for  the  most 
part  the  bream-flat  or  silver  bream. 

Many  spots  on  the  Thames,  as  Walton,  Weybridge,  Chertsey, 
Shepperton,  Hampton,  Kingston,  etc.,  are  or  have  been 
famous  for  bream,  and  the  Colne  abounds  in  them  in  parts. 
The  East  India  Docks,  too,  formerly  held  very  fine  bream,  and 
many  of  the  waters  around  London  have  abundance  of  them. 
The  midland  counties'  rivers,  as  the  Trent,  Ouse,  and  the 
Norfolk  streams,  are  also  well  stocked  with  them. 


THE  CARP  (CypHnus  carpio) 

This  cunning  member  of  the  carp  tribe  requires  all  the 
angler's  skill  to  delude  him,  and  it  will  often  happen  that  even 
after  the  angler  has  exhausted  his  patience  and  ingenuity,  our 
leathern-mouthed  friend  will  altogether  fail  to  come  to  hand, 
or  rather  to  net.  Small  carp  under  and  up  to  two  pounds  are 
not  so  difficult  to  take,  but  when  the  angler  essays  his  skill  upon 
the  wily  old  veterans  of  the  pond,  it  is  quite  another  matter. 
It  is  difficult  to  get  carp  to  look  at  the  bait  at  all,  and  when  they 
do  they  will  more  often  nibble  and  suck  at  it,  and  leave  only 
half  of  it  on  the  hook,  than  take  it  fairly.  It  is  wonderful,  too, 
how  soon  even  small  carp  get  shy  if  they  are  much  fished  for. 
I  remember  two  ponds  in  which  as  a  boy  I  always  could  take 
large  numbers  of  carp.  In  one  I  once  took  one  of  four  pounds, 
though  usually  they  seldom  exceeded  two  or  two  and  a  half 
pounds  ;  but  fish  of  from  one  to  two  pounds  I  could  generally 
catch  in  considerable  numbers.  In  the  other  pond  I  have  taken 
in  one  afternoon  four  that  weighed  over  twenty-two  pounds, 
and  could  easily  catch  ten  or  a  dozen  or  more  in  one  afternoon  ; 
but  some  years  after,  when  the  ponds  became  more  popular  and 

Mr.  Greville  Fennell,  in  the  columns  of  the  Field,  has  corrected  me  in 
s,  and  says  that  the  carp-bream  are  held  in  high  estimation  on  Trent  side, 
have  never  eaten  them  there,  and  therefore  cannot  ofifer  an  opinion  ;    but 
the  Thames  bream  are  certainly  indifferent  fare,  and  very  bony. — F.  F. 


■■Ti] 


1^ 


54  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

fishermen  more  plentiful,  I  have  visited  them  and  fished  them 
in  vain,  although  the  carp  were  still  in  them  in  abundance,  and 
might  be  seen  rolling  and  grubbing  all  around  the  hook. 

Carp,  owing  to  their  caution,  often  live  to  reach  a  very  large 
size,  growing  to  between  twenty  and  thirty  pounds  in  weight. 
A  large  carp,  too,  is  not  only  cunning  before  he  takes  your  bait, 
but  he  quite  appreciates  the  value  of  large  masses  of  weeds  to 
help  him  in  getting  rid  of  it,  and  as  the  angler  is  compelled  to 
fish  as  finely  as  possible,  and  with  not  too  large  a  hook  nor  too 
coarse  gut,  the  wary  old  fellow  will  sometimes  give  you  the 
slip  even  after  he  has  been  well  hooked. 

The  usual  method  of  fishing  for  carp  is  to  employ  a  small 
light  float  and  fine  tackle,  and  to  fish  in  the  method  recom- 
mended for  "  Pond-fishing  generally."  The  hook  should  not 
be  above  No.  7,  or  6  at  the  outside  ;  the  shot  fine  and  some 
distance  from  the  float,  as  the  mere  gravity  of  the  hook,  and 
worm  will  carry  them  to  the  bottom  ;  the  gut  fine,  roimdj  and 
olive  or  weed-coloured  ;  and  the  bait,  a  small  red  worm  or  a 
bit  of  paste.  The  depth  should  be  plumbed  so  that  the  bait 
may  rest  on  the  bottom.  It  is  not  natural  to  see  the  bait  hanging 
in  the  water  barely  touching  the  bottom,  and  that  the  carp 
know  well  enough.  In  this  position,  too,  the  gut  ascends 
directly  from  the  head  of  the  worm,  and  the  unnatural  attitude 
of  the  bait  challenges  the  carp's  attention  to  this  "  new  thing 
in  baits."  Mons.  Carp  then  catches  sight  of  the  shot,  and, 
lastly,  in  all  probability,  of  the  float  above.  All  this  is  of  course 
strange  and  unusual,  and  he  proceeds  to  investigate  the  bait 
with  all  due  care,  nibbling  and  picking  at  it,  like  the  female 
ghoul  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  who  ate  rice  with  a  bodkin  ;  he 
cannot  make  up  his  mind  to  take  it,  and  yet  he  cannot  make 
up  his  mind  to  leave  it,  so  he  nibbles  and  nibbles,  and  at  last 
you  think  he  must  have  got  the  bait,  and  you  strike.  Now,  it 
is  not  customary  for  baits  to  dash  off  in  that  frantic  fashion  ; 
and  therefore,  while  your  bait  dashes  off  one  way.  Master  Carp 
dashes  off  the  other. 

It  is  best  to  take  your  depth  the  evening  before  you  intend 
to  fish,  so  that  you  need  not  disturb  the  spot  when  you  come  in 
the  morning.  A  longish  bamboo  rod  will  be  found  useful  for 
this  kind  of  angling,  as  it  is  advisable  to  swing  your  float  as 
far  off  from  the  shore  as  possible. 

If  it  be  not  possible  to  select  and  bait  your  pitch  beforehand, 
it  will  be  only  necessary  to  follow  the  directions  for  pond- 
fishing  given  at  the  commencement  of  this  work.    If,  however. 


BREAM-FISHING  55 

you  can  manage  to  bait  your  pitch,  then  select  say,  two  places. 
Let  the  bottom  be  clear  of  weeds,  and  the  spot  be  near  rushes, 
or  in  some  part  where  you  see  carp  usually  feeding.  Then,  go 
in  the  morning  (if  there  are  eels  in  the  pond)  and  throw  in  a  few 
handfuls  of  broken  worms,  gentles,  or  any  other  ground-bait 
you  may  select ;  for  if  you  are  fishing  with  worms  and  there  be 
eels  in  the  pond,  in  all  probability  (as  they  are  unusually  busy 
at  night)  they  will  gobble  up  all  the  worms  before  the  carp  can 
get  a  chance ;  and  this  is  one  of  the  miseries  you  have  to 
endure  in  carp-fishing  when  using  worms,  viz.  that  when  you 
expect  a  bite  from  some  noble  carp,  which  is  cruising  coyly 
round  your  hook,  some  wretched  little  eel  comes  and  takes 
your  worm,  and  the  hauling  of  the  little  brute  out  is  sure  to 
scare  the  carp.  It  is  better,  perhaps — if  they  will  take  paste  or 
any  of  the  many  vegetable  or  mealy  baits  recommended  for 
them  in  the  water  you  are  going  to  fish — to  ground-bait  with 
them.  In  some  places  and  at  some  seasons  the  worm  is  pre- 
ferred, at  others,  paste.  Having  baited  your  pitch  once  or 
twice,  or  if  you  like  oftener,  come  to  the  water  with  your  rod  all 
ready,  your  hook  baited  (and  take  care  to  see  that  it  is  well 
covered)  ;  pitch  your  float  as  quietly  as  you  can  out  to  the 
requisite  distance,  lay  down  the  rod  in  the  fork  mentioned  in 
Pond-fishing,  and  flip  a  few  bits  of  ground-bait  in  round  about 
your  float.  When  you  see  a  nibble  do  not  be  in  a  hurry,  for  at 
the  best  the  carp  is  a  slow  biter,  and  the  float  will  often  bob  and 
wriggle  about  for  half  a  minute  or  so  before  the  bite  is  con- 
firmed ;  get  the  rod  carefully  and  cautiously  in  hand  without 
disturbing  the  line  or  float,  and  when  the  float  goes  under  and 
sails  majestically  away,  and  not  till  then,  you  may  raise  the 
point  smartly,  and  in  all  probabiUty  a  desperate  rush  (if  the 
fish  is  a  good  one)  will  answer  the  strike  ;  play  him  as  firmly 
as  the  tackle  will  stand,  for  the  hook  seldom  breaks  out  of  his 
tough  mouth,  and  get  him  into  the  net  as  soon  as  you  can,  and 
with  as  little  disturbance  as  possible.  Then  throw  in  a  handful 
of  bait  and  proceed  to  your  other  baited  patch,  and  do  hkewise, 
allowing  the  disturbance  at  the  first  to  subside  before  you 
return  to  it.  By  working  the  two  pitches  alternately  in  this 
way,  you  may  get  far  more  sport  from  either  of  them  than  you 
would  if  you  had  only  one  baited. 

I  have  spoken  of  other  baits,  and  there  are  an  infinite 
variety  which  carp  are  said  to  take.  For  paste,  both  plain 
and  honey  paste,  see  **  Bait  Table."    I  iidve  heard  of  anglers 

Jplo5dng  paste  coloured  red  but  have  no  faith  in  it ;   paste 


56  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

mixed  up  with  gin  or  with  brandy  is  also  said  to  be  irresistible, 
but  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  found  it  so,  although  assured  of 
large  takes  made  with  it  by  friends  :  perhaps  the  carp  I  offered 
it  to  had  "  taken  the  pledge."  A  green  pea  is  a  noted  bait  for 
carp.  One  carp-fisher  I  know  of,  swears  by  boiled  beans,  the 
large  yellow  haricots,  or  the  smaller  broad  bean  for  the  hook, 
ground-baiting  with  boiled  barley.  Others  get  good  results 
from  knobs  of  potato  about  the  size  of  a  gooseberry.  Mr. 
Goodwin,  of  Hampton  Court,  assured  me  that  he  has  made  some 
wonderful  takes  of  very  large  carp,  up  to  fourteen  or  fifteen 
pounds  weight  each,  with  potato,  in  the  canal  in  the  park  there. 
His  method  was  as  follows  :  Choosing  a  clear  place  where 
ther  were  no  weeds  at  the  bottom,  he  would  every  evening  for 
some  days  throw  in  two  or  three  handfuls  of  chopped  potatoes 
(the  red  potatoes  are  supposed  to  be  preferable,  but  that  may 
be  only  a  whim).  Then,  when  about  to  fish,  he  would  take,  not 
a  float,  but  a  rod  with  ledger  tackle,  with  tolerably  stout  gut, 
and  baiting  the  hook  with  a  piece  of  potato  he  would  throw  in 
the  tackle  in  the  usual  way,  and  allow  the  lead  to  rest  on  the 
bottom,  slackening  the  running  line.  In  time  a  bite  would 
ensue  ;  the  fish  would  carry  away  the  potato,  and  as  he  went 
off  for  two  or  three  feet,  the  line  would  be  3delded  to  him  easily 
and  without  check,  and  would  run  freely  through  the  bullet, 
when  the  strike  brought  matters  to  an  explanation,  and,  as  the 
gut  was  pretty  stout,  he  was  not  allowed,  even  though  a  big 
fish,  to  have  everything  his  own  way.  The  potato  should  be 
parboiled  just  sufficiently  to  make  it  stick  well  on  the  hook. 
In  this  way,  Mr.  Goodwin  assured  me  that  he  used  to  take  two 
or  three  large  carp  whenever  he  went  to  fish  for  them,  the 
evening  being  the  preferable  time.  Stout  tackle  can  be  used 
thus,  because  the  gut  rests  on  the  bottom,  and  the  carp  cannot 
see  it  as  he  can  when  it  runs  directly  from  the  bait  up  through 
the  water.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  always  recommend,  in 
carp-fishing,  that  the  bait  should  rest  on  the  bottom,  and  some 
inches  of  the  line  likewise  ;  for,  though  the  carp  will  detect  the 
finest  gut,  as  I  have  said,  when  the  bait  is  pendent,  yet  he  will 
not  notice  the  coarsest  tackle  if  it  rests  on  the  bottom.  Indeed, 
I  once  took  a  seven-pound  carp  on  an  eel  line  with  coarse  string 
snooded  hooks,  in  a  pond  where  no  one  has  ever  been  able  by 
ordinary  float  and  line-fishing  to  catch  the  carp  at  all,  though 
they  abound  in  the  pond,  and  are  of  large  size.  In  using  paste 
baits,  the  angler  will  find  it  to  his  account,  if  instead  of  using 
a  single  hook  he  employs  a  small  brazed  triangle,  or  three  hooks 


CARP  AND  TENCH  57 

brazed  together  back  to  back,  such  as  are  used  on  spinning 
tackles.  This  holds  the  paste  on  far  more  firmly,  thus  resisting 
the  carp's  power  of  suction,  and  gives  the  angler  a  better 
chance  of  hooking  him.  The  hooks  must  be  completely  buried 
in  the  paste,  and  the  bait  should  be  the  size  of  a  moderate 
gooseberry. 

Some  anglers  in  fishing  a  pond  employ  various  devices  to 
hide  themselves  from  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  fish,  and  stick  in 
bushes  by  the  margin,  or  even  hurdles  to  shelter  them.  I  never 
found  this  particularly  desirable,  though  there  can  be  no  harm 
in  it ;  but  it  is  most  needful  that  the  angler  should  move 
with  perfect  caution,  and  should  not  stump  about  on  the  bank 
— a  very  few  steps  of  an  Irish  jig,  for  example,  on  the  bank, 
would  be  fatal  to  all  hopes  of  sport  for  an  hour  or  two.  The 
angler  need  never  be  afraid  to  lay  down  his  rod,  as  the  bite  is 
always  so  slow  that  he  has  ample  time  to  regain  it  before  striking 
time  ;  but  when  he  takes  it  up  he  must  take  it  up  carefully  and 
not  jerk  the  line. 

In  rivers  carp  bite  more  boldly  than  they  do  in  ponds';  at 
any  rate,  such  is  the  case  in  the  Thames,  where  they  are  often 
taken  when  the  angler  is  roach  or  barbel-fishing  in  some  parts. 
The  favourite  method  of  fishing  for  them  there  is  by  a  very 
hght  ledger  with  a  pistol-bullet,  and  a  lump  of  paste.  I  do  not, 
however,  think  the  carp  is  native  to  the  Thames.  Some  years 
ago  a  good  many  were  turned  in  at  Teddington,  and  there  they 
certainly  have  thriven,  and  in  the  eddies  by  the  weir  (a  some- 
what strange  place  for  them  to  affect)  they  frequently  take  the 
worm  boldly,  and  show  good  sport ;  no  doubt  they  might 
easily  be  increased  in  the  Thames,  and  would  form  an  agreeable 
diversion  if  more  general. 

The  worst  of  the  carp  is  that  you  must  be  content  with  your 
sport ;  for  when  you  have  caught  him  (in  England  at  any  rate, 
as  far  as  my  experience  goes)  he  is  not  worth  eating,  being  a 
muddy,  bony,  woolly  beast,  on  whom  any  sauce  or  condiment 
is  simply  wasted.  In  many  places  carp  are  tamed  so  that  they 
will  come  and  feed  out  of  their  keeper's  hand,  and  will  even 
come  to  his  whistle  or  any  other  accustomed  signal. 

1^^^^  THE  TENCH  (Tinea  vulgaris) 

The  tench  is  a  better  fish  for  the  table  than  the  carp,  and  if 
caught  in  a  tolerably  well-kept  pond,  is  not  a  bad  fish  to  eat, 
the  skin  being  thick  and  glutinous,  and  the  flesh  white,  firm, 


I 


58  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  sweet.  The  method  which  I  have  described  in  fishing  for 
carp  with  the  worm  and  float  answers  equally  well  for  the 
tench,  save  that  the  bait  need  not  rest  quite  so  much  on  the 
ground,  but  the  depth  may  be  plumbed,  so  that  the  bait  may 
just  touch  the  bottom  in  the  usual  way.  The  tench  is  a  very 
curious  fish  in  his  habits.  You  may  see  a  pond  which  is  stocked 
with  good  tench,  and  look  over  it  narrowly,  and  even  do  so 
many  times,  without  having  the  slightest  idea  that  there  is  a 
fish  in  it.  I  have  known  ponds  which  have  been  supposed  to 
be  fishless  for  years,  by  the  merest  accident  to  be  discovered  to 
contain  large  numbers  of  fine  tench  in  them.  In  many  places 
tench  are  very  peculiar  also  in  their  times  of  feeding  ;  on  some 
days  they  will  feed  well,  while  at  other  times  you  will  not 
manage  to  get  a  fish  in  a  week ;  and  though  this  is  not  always  the 
case,  they  are  yet  usually  more  or  less  capricious.  As  an 
illustration  of  the  above,  I  may  state  that  I  once  knew  a  httle 
pond  in  Hampshire,  which  was  not  perhaps  more  than  about 
twenty  yards  square.  I  had  many  times  seen  it,  but  never  saw 
a  fish  in  it,  when  one  day  the  person  to  whom  it  belonged, 
knowing  that  I  was  fond  of  fishing,  asked  me  if  I  would  not  like 
to  catch  some  of  the  tench  in  the  pond.  I  had  no  idea  there  were 
any  in  it,  but  as  he  assured  me  there  were,  and  as  I  had  nothing 
else  to  do  one  afternoon,  I  got  a  bag  of  worms  and  walked  down 
to  the  pond  with  my  rod.  I  put  up  a  small  light  cork  float,  and 
a  couple  of  hooks,  one  four  or  five  inches  above  the  other, 
baited  with  red  worms,  threw  in  some  broken  worms,  and 
waited.  Presently  I  caught  a  little  eel ;  then  another  ;  then  a 
little  tench  of  less  than  half  a  pound  weight ;  then  one  or  two 
more  eels ;  and,  although  I  kept  on  throwing  in  the  broken 
worms  I  did  no  more,  and  finally  I  threw  in  the  rest  of  my 
worms  and  went  away  disgusted,  not  having  seen  another  fish 
move.  Still  the  proprietor  assured  me  there  were  good  tench 
in  the  pond,  and  urged  me  to  i.y  again ;  and  the  next  after- 
noon, being  inclined  for  a  lazy  hour  or  two,  I  took  my  rod,  a 
book,  and  my  pipe,  and  walked  down  to  the  pond.  I  pitched 
in  my  float  as  usual,  and  sat  down  behind  a  bush,  lighted  my 
pipe,  and  began  to  read,  when  on  looking  up  I  found  that  my 
float  had  disappeared,  and  was  "  making  tracks  "  for  the 
middle  of  the  pond.  Thinking  it  was  only  a  small  eel,  I  got  up 
lazily,  took  up  the  rod  and  struck,  when  to  my  surprise,  I  found 
that  I  had  hold  of  something  a  good  deal  larger  than  I  bargained 
for,  and  after  a  tolerable  tussle,  I  got  out  a  fine  tench  of  a  pound 
and  a  half.    The  book  was  at  once  consigned  to  oblivion,  and 


TENCH-FISHING  55 

I  set  to  work  carefully,  and  barely  was  my  float  settled,  when 
"  wriggle,  wriggle,  wriggle,"  it  went,  and  after  the  usual  pre- 
liminary gyrations  and  bobs  which  the  tench  generally  com- 
municates to  it,  off  it  went ;  I  struck  again,  and  got  another 
fine  tench  of  nearly  two  pounds  :  after  this  the  fun  grew  fast 
and  furious.  Unfortimately,  I  did  not  keep  score  of  the  fish  I 
caught,  as,  finding  I  was  having  such  great  sport,  I  was  afraid 
of  clearing  the  pond  out,  so  I  put  most  of  them  in  again,  merely 
keeping  three  brace  of  two-pounders  ;  but  I  should  imagine 
that  I  must  have  captured  about  thirty  fine  tench,  not  one  of 
which  would  be  under  a  pound  and  a  quarter,  and  many  of 
them  topped  two  pounds  and  a  half.  Where  all  these  large  fish 
could  have  packed  themselves  in  this  mite  of  a  pond  without 
ever  attracting  notice,  I  could  not  imagine.  Tired  of  pulhng 
them  out,  I  left  off  in  the  evening  while  the  fish  were  yet  biting 
freely.  I  went  there  again  the  next  day,  and  caught  one  tench 
of  three-quarters  of  a  pound  ;  but,  though  I  fished  there  many 
times  since,  /  never  caught  a  tench  afterwards.  Tench  at  times 
feed  freely  enough  all  day  ;  but  the  favourite  feeding-time  is 
at  dusk,  and  when  you  can  barely  see  your  float — then  they 
will  take  if  they  take  at  all. 

Moderately  fine  tackle  is  desirable,  but  though  the  tench  is 
a  slow,  niggling,  tedious  biter,  he  is  not  so  wary  as  the  carp. 
Oftentimes,  however,  he  will  play  with  and  nibble  at  the  bait, 
and  will  leave  it  after  all.  When  the  biting  has  been  going  on 
in  this  fashion  I  have  found  it  a  capital  plan  to  expedite  matters 
by  very  gently  drawing  the  worm  away  a  few  inches,  when  Dr. 
Tench,  thinking  that  he  is  going  to  lose  his  fee,  usually  comes 
after  it  and  takes  it  well.  This  is  a  pecuhar  speciaUty  in  tench 
fishing  which  the  angler  will  do  well  to  remember,  as  it  will 
often  stand  him  in  good  stead.  Two  or  three  shots  will  be  quite 
enough  to  sink  the  bait,  and  the  hook  should  be  about  No.  7, 
not  larger.  Tench  will  feed  on  gentles  and  grubs,  but  the  best 
bait  by  far  is  the  red  worm  ;  broken  worms  to  be  used  for 
ground  bait,  and  a  handful  or  two  thrown  in  for  one  or  two 
days  before  fishing,  will  no  doubt  serve  as  an  aid  to  sport. 
Tench  are  fonder  of  weedy  ponds  than  carp,  and  a  space  of  a 
few  square  yards  in  the  middle  of  banks  of  weeds  is  often  a 
favourite  find  for  them.  When  once  hooked,  there  is  little  fear 
of  losing  your  tench,  though  he  makes  a  strong  fight  for  his  life. 

The  tenacity  of  Ufe  in  the  tench  is  very  remarkable  :  I  once 
carried  one  in  the  midst  of  a  basket  of  other  fish  100  miles 
— it  was  five  hours  at  least  out  of  water.    It  was  at  Christmas 


6o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

time,  and  though,  at  the  end  of  the  journey  all  the  other  fish 
were  dead  and  stiff,  the  tench  was  alive  ;  I  put  him  into  a 
bucket  of  water,  and  he  swam  about  as  if  he  had  only  just  been 
taken  out  of  the  punt's  well.  My  friends  thought  him  uncanny 
and  would  not  eat  him,  so  I  determined  the  next  day  to  make 
my  supper  off  him.  I  took  him  out  of  his  bucket,  gave  him  a 
tap  on  the  head,  rolled  him  up  in  a  handkerchief,  and  put  him 
into  my  portmanteau  amidst  coats,  trousers,  etc.  I  journeyed 
home  again,  and  about  five  hours  after  I  took  out  my  tench  to 
give  him  to  the  cook,  when  lo  !  he  gasped  ;  I  put  him  into 
water,  and  he  actually  appeared  none  the  worse  for  all  he  had 
gone  through.  Thinking  then  that  he  had  earned  his  life,  I 
gave  him  his  liberty,  and  turned  him  into  a  small  pond,  and  a 
twelvemonth  after,  when  we  were  netting  it,  we  got  him  out, 
and  he  had  grown  about  half  a  pound.  I  have  seen  some  tench, 
however,  that  have  died  in  a  much  shorter  time,  though 
generally  they  have  tough  lives. 

What  truth  there  may  be  in  the  old  story  of  the  medical 
powers  of  the  tench,  I  cannot  pretend  to  say.  He  is  rather 
slimy  as  to  his  skin,  and  if,  like  the  bream,  he  can  part  with  his 
sUme  freely,  it  might  prove  efficacious,  like  "  parmacety  for  an 
inward  wound  "  probably  ;  but  I  can  assume  no  other  way  in 
which  he  could  be  at  all  serviceable  as  a  member  of  the  finny 
faculty. 

THE  EEL  {Anguilla  vulgaris) 

AngHng  for  eels  can  hardly  be  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of 
any  great  consequence,  as  regards  sport ;  and  yet  there  are 
times,  such  as  very  hot  still  days  when  the  trout  will  not  move, 
when  sniggling  an  old  eel  out  of  his  hole  in  some  lock  or  hatch- 
gate  is  not  altogether  unamusing,  while  three  or  four  of  these 
fish  form  a  by  no  means  unpleasant  change  in  the  angler's  bill 
of  fare.  And  as  at  times  the  angler  may  be  glad  so  to  amend 
his  supper  or  dinner,  I  give  a  brief  account  of  the  best  way  of 
taking  eels. 

Eels  are  principally  caught  in  traps  constructed  for  the 
purpose.  These  are  made  mostly  at  mill  weirs  and  such  places, 
but  often  independently  of  them.  Stages  are  erected,  and  on 
them  are  set  larg'e  baskets  called  "  bucks."  They  are  also 
taken  in  smaller  baskets,  called  pots  or  wheels,  which  are  set 
under  banks,  or  in  the  runs  between  weeds.  In  the  winter  time 
they  are  speared,  a  spear  being  thrust  into  every  likely  looking 
spot  in  mud  banks,  where  they  are  thought  to  be  concealed, 


SNIGGLING  EELS  6i 

and  occasionally  an  eel  comes  up  hanging  between  the  teeth, 
fished  out  of  the  seething  flood  by  a  demon  prong,  like  one  of 
the  unhappy  peculators  in  the  boiling  pitch  of  Malebolge, 
described  in  the  Inferno  of  Dante.  They  are  also  taken  on 
set  night  lines.  But  all  these  methods  have  nothing  to  do  with 
angUng. 

From  an  angling  point  of  view,  they  are  taken,  imprimis, 
with  the  rod  and  Une,  a  worm  on  about  a  No.  6  or  7  hook  being 
the  favourite  bait.  It  matters  little  whether  a  float  be  used 
or  not ;  the  only  requisite  is  to  allow  the  worm  to  lie  upon  the 
bottom,  whence  it  will  be  picked  up  by  the  eels,  and  as  certainly 
devoured.  It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  one  will  take  the 
worm  in  barbel  or  trout-fishing,  when  it  becomes  a  very  great 
nuisance,  and  if  not  very  speedily  unhooked,  twists  the  line 
into  knots,  and  covers  it  with  slime.  As  soon  as  the  eel  is 
landed,  the  angler  should  set  his  foot  firmly  upon  the  body, 
and  with  his  penknife  sever  the  vertebrae  at  the  back  of  the 
neck,  when  its  struggles  will  almost  entirely  cease.*  Eels  have 
been  known  not  only  to  run  at  and  take  a  spinning  bait,  but 
even  to  rise  at  and  take  an  artificial  fly. 

Sniggling  is  a  most  amusing  method  of  catching  eels.  The 
tackle  required  for  sniggUng  is  simply  some  half-dozen  yards  of 
water  cord,  with  a  large  darning  needle  lashed  on  crosswise  by 
the  middle,  at  one  end  of  the  line.  This,  of  course,  is  easily 
carried  in  the  creel,  and  when  the  trout  will  not  rise,  and  the 
angler  is  at  a  loss  for  amusement  (if  the  river  presents  facilities 
for  it),  he  may  kill  half  a  dozen  pounds  or  more  of  eels  easily, 
and  so,  as  I  have  said,  amend  his  feed  without  wasting  his  time. 
He  must  cut  a  sniggUng-stick  or  rod,  from  eight  to  ten  feet 
long,  or  longer,  with  a  curved  or  bent  top — a  hazel,  alder,  ash, 
or  other  twig  will  do.  Taking  then  a  lob  worm,  he  must  thrust 
the  needle  into  the  worm,  until  it  be  hidden  within  it  (see  Plate 
VI,  Figs.  5  and  6,  p.  93)  ;  then  sticking  the  point  of  the 
needle  lightly  into  the  end  of  the  stick,  and  holding  one  end  of 
the  string  in  the  left  hand  and  the  stick  in  the  right,  the  angler 
must  "  prospect  "  and  look  out  for  some  hole  in  the  bank, 
under  a  stone,  or  the  side  of  lock  walls,  etc.,  which  may  be 
likely  to  hold  an  eel ;  and  directing  the  worm  at  the  point  of 
the  stick  towards  the  hole,  it  should  be  thrust  as  far  as  practic- 
able into  it.     If  an  eel  be  there,  he  will  immediately  seize  it, 

♦  A  simpler  and  more  effective  way  is  to  lay  the  eel's  tail  on  a  stone  or  the 
thwart  of  a  boat  and  give  it  a  severe  blow  with  a  cudgel  or  stone.  This 
paralyses  the  creature. — Ed. 


62  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  pull  if  from  the  stick ;  when  the  angler  feels  the  tug,  he 
should  draw  the  stick  gently  away  from  the  spot,  and  give  the 
eel  time  to  swallow  the  worm  ;  when  he  has  reason  to  think  it 
has  done  so,  he  must  give  a  slight  pull,  and  the  needle,  which 
has  gone  inside  the  worm  straight  down  the  eel's  throat,  will 
turn  across  in  his  gullet,  and  hook  him  safely.  Now  comes  the 
tug  of  war.  The  eel  will  refuse  to  quit  his  hole  very  likely,  and 
turning  his  tail  about  in  its  sinuosities,  will  firmly  resist  all 
efforts  to  withdraw  him  ;  but  the  angler  has  only  to  be  patient, 
and  keep  up  a  steady  strain  on  the  string,  and  he  will  in  time 
tire  the  eel  out,  and  it  will  come  out  of  its  hole,  when  it  will  be 
easily  captured.  Eels  of  two  or  three  or  even  more  pounds 
weight  are  often  thus  taken. 

Clod-fishing  is  another  way  of  taking  eels.  It  can  hardly 
be  called  angling,  though  it  has  a  rude  resemblance  to  it.  A 
large  number  of  lob  worms  are  strung  on  pieces  of  worsted,  and 
these  are  all  tied  up  into  a  mass  somewhat  resembling  a  small 
mop.  This  is  called  the  "  clod,"  which  is  attached  by  means  of 
a  stout  line  of  convenient  length  to  a  suitable  pole.  When  the 
eels  are  running  or  migrating,  the  angler  takes  his  stand  with 
a  pail  half-full  of  water  beside  him,  and  placed  almost  the 
length  of  the  pole  from  him.  He  drops  the  clod  into  the 
water,  and  allows  it  to  sink  to  the  bottom  ;  presently  an  eel 
attacks  it ;  as  soon  as  the  angler  feels  the  bite,  he  raises  the 
clod  with  a  steady  lift  from  the  water,  and  holds  it  over  the 
pail.  The  eel's  teeth  being  entangled  in  the  worsted,  he  cannot 
easily  of  himself  let  go  ;  but  he  is  shaken  off  into  the  pail,  and 
the  clod  is  once  more  dipped  into  the  water. 

Stichering  is  yet  another  method  of  catching  eels.  It  is,  I 
think,  peculiar  to  Hampshire,  as  I  never  heard  of  it  elsewhere  ; 
but  there  is  a  good  deal  of  fun  at  times  in  a  stichering  party. 
The  apparatus  used  is  an  old  sickle,  worn  short  and  chipped  so 
as  to  be  roughly  toothed.  This  is  tied  on  to  a  light  pole  some 
twelve  feet  long.  Armed  with  one  of  these  and  a  bag  the 
sportsman  saUies  forth  to  the  water  meadows,  where  the  wide 
deep  drains  for  irrigative  purposes  are  situated.  Peering  about, 
at  the  bottom  of  one  of  these,  he  presently  espies  an  eel,  or  the 
head  of  one,  projecting  from  under  a  leaf  or  weed ;  he  then 
gently  and  cautiously  thrusts  the  hook  under  the  eel's  body, 
and  with  a  sudden  toss  pitches  him  high  and  dry  on  the  bank, 
and  puts  him  in  the  bag.  An  unskilful  sticherer  will  sometimes 
chop  off  his  neighbour's  ear,  or  poke  out  his  eye,  which  doubt- 
less lends  excitement  to  the  sport. 


PERCH-FISHING  63 

THE  PERCH   (Perca  fluviatilis) 

The  perch  is  usually  described  as  a  bold  biting  fish,  and  so 
he  may  be  where  he  is  not  much  fished  for,  or  where  perch 
are  over-plentiful  and  small,  or  when,  like  other  fish,  they 
have  a  hungry  day  ;  but  if  by  the  above  character  it  be  meant 
that  good  perch  are  deficient  in  wariness,  then  I  contradict  it. 
Where  they  are  at  all  fished — and  my  remarks  apply  to 
rivers  and  lakes  where  they  are  well  and  regularly  fished  for — 
there  are  few  fish  more  capricious  or  careful  in  biting  than 
large  perch  ;  small  ones  may  often  be  taken  in  any  quantity, 
but  not  so  when  they  gain  experience.  I  have  known  places 
haunted  by  numbers  of  good  perch — perch  of  from  a  pound 
and  a  half  to  three  pounds  in  weight — and  yet,  season  after 
season,  there  are  seldom  more  than  one  or  two  of  them  caught, 
and  these  nearly  always  at  the  starvation  part  of  the  year, 
i.e.  after  the  heavy  winter  floods,  when  the  small  fish  are  all 
driven  up  the  brooks,  and  the  perch  are  driven  into  the  few 
eddies  that  exist.  Here,  while  the  river  is  tearing  down  outside 
in  a  spate,  from  one  to  two  hundred,  and  sometimes  more, 
perch  will  often  be  congregated  in  a  space  of  some  ten  or 
twenty  square  yards,  perhaps.  After  these  fish  have  battled 
with  the  frosts  of  winter,  on  short  rations  for  weeks,  what 
chance  has  a  minnow  among  such  a  host,  or  what  chance  even 
a  hundred  minnows  ?  No  wonder,  then,  that  you  pull  them 
up  two  or  three  at  a  time,  one  for  each  minnow  ;  the  only 
wonder  is  that  they  do  not,  in  their  eagerness,  swallow  the 
plummet  of  your  paternoster  in  its  descent,  by  mistake. 
In  truth  and  faith,  January  and  February  are  deadly  months 
for  poor  perchy.  Cabined,  cribbed,  confined  in  a  black  hole 
of  an  eddy,  they  are  pulled  out  not  in  braces,  or  even  scores, 
but  often  to  the  tune  of  hundreds.  I  have  seen  and  helped  to 
catch  ten  dozen  and  over  out  of  one  hole,  and  have  heard  of 
twice  ten  dozen  being  taken.  But  catch  Master  Perch  on  a 
fine  summer's  day  in  this  way,  if  you  can.  Often  have  I, 
through  the  crystal  clear  water,  watched  the  proceedings  of  a 
dozen  perch  at  the  worm  or  a  minnow  on  my  hook,  some 
twelve  or  thirteen  feet  below.  How  they  come  up  to  it  with 
all  sail  set,  their  fins  extended,  their  spines  erect,  as  if  they 
meant  to  devour  it  without  hesitation  !  and  how  they  pause 
when  they  do  come  up  to  it,  and  swim  gently  round  it,  as  if  a 
worm  or  a  minnow  were  an  article  of  vertu,  which  required 
the  nicest  taste  and  consideration  of  a  connoisseur  to  appreciate 


k 


64  A     BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

it  properly.  At  length  one  of  the  boldest,  taking  hold  of  the 
extreme  tip  of  the  tail  as  timidly  as  a  bashful  young  gentleman 
takes  hold  of  the  tip  of  his  partner's  finger  when  he  leads  her 
to  the  festive  quadrille,  will  give  it  a  shake.  Now,  if  you  are 
curious,  watch  your  float ;  see  how  it  bobs  down,  after  a 
fashion  that  would  make  you  think  the  perch  must  not  only 
have  swallowed  the  bait,  but  half  digested  it ;  whereas,  in 
fact,  they  cannot  make  up  their  minds  about  it.  Is  it  a  safe 
investment  or  is  it  not  ?  Is  it  real  old  Chelsea  or  only  a 
modern  imitation  ?  And  then  comes  an  aldermanic  perch, 
of  nigh  two  pounds,  a  warm  liveryman  of  the  Fishmonger's 
Company,  a  regular  turtle-fed  lord  mayor  elect,  with  his  cheeks 
blown  up,  his  eyes  staring  out  of  his  head,  his  fins  all  bristUng 
with  magisterial  importance.  "  Now  then,  what  is  this  case  ? 
Ha,  hum  !  a  worm,  eh  ?  yes.  Found  hanging  about  the 
streets  with  no  ascertainable  occupation,  and  without  any 
home,  eh  ?  Ha  !  bad  case — very  bad  !  a  mysterious  and 
vagrom  character,  evidently.  Take  him  away,  some  of  you, 
and  lock  him  up — very  suspicious  indeed — very  much  so  ; 
and  so  his  lordship  having  taken  a  half  turn,  and  a  brief  survey 
of  the  wretched  trembling  culprit,  who  with  policeman  hook 
stuck  into  him.  Alderman  Perch  looking  at  him  angrily  and 
hungrily,  and  limbo  gaping  at  him  from  Mr.  Alderman's 
stomach,  is  drawn  up  as  useless  and  thrown  on  one  side  ; 
while,  with  a  fan  of  his  tail,  the  alderman  scuttles  off  to  a 
fresh  case,  and  all  his  little  people  scuttle  off  after  him,  save, 
perhaps,  one  unhappy  little  devil  who  won't  take  warning. 
Anyone  who  wishes  to  see  this  portrayed,  should  look  at  poor 
Arthur  Smith's  lithograph  of  Rolfe's  picture,  called  "  the 
committee  of  taste."  It  is  a  grand  bit  of  expression,  and  the 
combination  of  greediness,  inquisitiveness,  pomposity,  and 
funk,  in  the  picture,  is  perfectly  delicious.    But  to  my  angling. 

There  are  various  ways  of  catching  perch.  Ilie  first,  and 
most  common,  is  with  the  live  minnow,  or,  if  minnow  cannot 
be  had,  any  other  small  fish,  or  fry  of  gudgeon,  dace,  or  roach, 
will  do  ;  but  these  should  only  be  used  when  the  angler  has 
no  other  alternative,  as,  although  the  perch  is  infinitely  the 
more*  desirable  and  valuable  fish,  fry  should  not  be  wasted. 
There  are  four  ways  of  using  a  minnow,  all  of  which  will  take 
perch  :  viz.  with  a  float  and  either  one  or  two  hooks,  or  a 
paternoster  with  two  or  three,  with  a  loose  line  and  roving 
minnow,  or  by  spinning. 

With  the  float,  the  lowest  hook  (if  two  are  used)  should  be 


I 


THE  PATERNOSTER  65 

two  or  three  inches  off  the  bottom,  and  the  next  one  should 
hang  between  mid-water  and  the  bottom.  The  best  way  of 
baiting  the  minnow  is  to  pass  the  hook  tenderly  and  carefully 
through  the  gristle  of  the  upper  lip  ;  some  choose  the  back 
fin,  but  a  minnow  so  hooked  neither  lives  so  long  nor  moves 
so  freely  as  when  hooked  by  the  lip.  When  a  perch  takes  the 
float  down,  do  not  strike  directly,  as  the  tackle  used  for  this 
fishing  being  usually  fine,  it  is  as  well  to  make  sure  of  him, 
for,  in  spite  of  anything  that  some  sceptical  anglers  may  say 
to  the  contrary,  the  scratching  and  losing  of  one  or  two  perch 
does  most  indubitably  very  often — I  won't  say  always,  because 
there  may  be  exceptions,  but  does  very  often — drive  the  shoal 
away.  I  have  noticed  it  scores  of  times,  and  have  heard  many 
good  and  experienced  anglers  verify  the  fact.  Therefore  rather 
give  him  a  little  time,  and  even  let  him  leave  the  bait,  or  cut  it 
off,  in  preference  to  being  too  hasty  and  scratching  him. 

The  paternoster  is  simply  a  gut  Une,  a  yard  or  four  feet 
long,  with  hooks  about  a  foot  apart,  and  weighted  at  the  end 
with  a  bullet  or  pear-shaped  plummet.  Some  anglers  use  three 
hooks,  and  some  two.  a  necessity  which  is  more  often  regulated 
by  the  depth  of  the  water  to  be  fished.  But  the  lowest  hook, 
unless  the  bottom  is  unusually  foul,  should  be  almost  on  the 
ground,  as  it  is  the  habit  of  the  minnows  to  strike  up  toward 
the  surface  in  their  efforts  to  escape,  just  as  it  is  the  habit 
of  all  fish  when  pursued  by  an  enemy  ;  fear  causes  them  to 
seek  the  surface,  and  even  to  jump  out  of  the  water.  Therefore 
if  the  minnow  be  not  kept  down,  it  will  be  much  above  the  head 
of  such  perch  as  are  lying  at  the  bottom  ;  and,  if  the  water 
be  at  all  coloured  (as  is  best  for  perch-fishing),  this  will  not 
only  be  a  fault,  but  a  great  one  ;  whereas,  if  the  hook  be 
kept  close  down  to  the  lead,  it  will  catch  two  or  three  fish 
against  either  of  the  other  hook's  one.  The  second  hook 
should  be  fixed  nine  inches  above,  and  must  hang  clear  of  the 
tie  of  the  lower  hook.  This  is  the  best  form  of  paternoster 
made. 

Some  people  make  a  paternoster  by  tying  their  hooks  on 
;to  coarse  hog  bristles,  and  these  again  on  to  a  piece  of  per- 
orated bone,  through  which  the  main  line  runs,  a  shot  above 
and  below  it  keeping  the  bristled  hook  in  its  place.  This  is 
done  in  order  to  keep  the  minnows  clear  of  the  main  line 
(bristles  being  stiffer  than  gut)  and  to  permit  him  to  swim 
freely  and  unnaturally  round  and  round  like  a  mill-horse — a 
very  clever  contrivance,  and  very  exquisite  fooling,  but  an 


66  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

abomination  of  abominations  in  practice.  It  is  the  pater- 
noster of  tackle  makers — made  to  sell,  not  to  catch  fish. 
Paternostering  properly  followed  is  a  very  skilful  and  not 
particularly  easy  branch  of  angling,  and  as  far  as  my  experience 
goes,  not  one  angler  in  a  thousand  knows  how  to  make  or  fish 
a  paternoster  properly.  You  cannot  fish  too  fine  for  the  perch 
in  season  ;  and  the  finer  you  fish,  the  more  and  better  fish  you 
catch.  To  put  a  great  coarse  hog's  bristle,  with  a  cumbrous 
paraphernalia  of  shots  and  bone,  under  a  perch's  nose,  is  a 
downright  insult  to  his  common  sense  of  self-preservation ; 
and,  if  he  condescends  to  take  your  minnow  at  all,  he  will  take 
it  probably  without  the  hook. 

Now,  this  is  the  way  I  make  a  paternoster,  and  this  is  the 
way  that  some  old  friends  of  mine,  who  are  by  far  the  best 
paternoster  fishers  on  the  Thames  or  anywhere  else  that  ever 
I  saw  or  heard  of,  taught  me  to  make  it.  Make  a  long  noose 
for  the  loop  on  which  to  fasten  your  lead,  and  in  this 
loop,  or  immediately  above  it,  tie  another  loop,  by  the 
simple  process  of  doubling  the  gut  and  tying  it ;  about  nine 
inches  above  this  repeat  the  process,  and  tie  another  loop, 
and  at  the  same  distance  above  that,  tie  another.  This  fashion 
of  making  the  loops  may  be  thought  dangerous  to  the  knot, 
but  in  reaUty  it  is  not  so  when  the  gut  is  wet ;  and  it  has  the 
advantage  of  always  standing  out  at  right  angles,  and  so 
keeping  the  hook  from  the  line.  Into  each  of  these  loops 
sUp  the  end  of  the  hook  gut,  which  should  have  a  knot  tied 
in  the  extreme  end  to  prevent  slipping,  and  secured  by  the 
hitch  shown  in  Plate  III,  Fig.  5  ;  a  hook  is  thus  appended 
to  each  loop,  the  gut  to  each  hook  being  about  seven  inches 
long ;  the  lowest  one  need  not  be  so  long.  Persons  who  have  not 
a  great  deal  of  experience  in  paternostering  will  object  to  the 
lower  hook  being  so  low  down,  urging  that  it  is  liable  to  take 
hold  of  weeds,  etc. ;  practice,  however,  will  change  their  opinion. 
The  hooks  are  of  Nos.  6  and  7  and  of  moderately  fine  wire, 
stoutish  in  the  shank,  and  roundish  bend,  and  are  tied  upon 
fine  round  gut,  the  main  Hne  being  a  Httle  stouter.  The  lead 
is  pear-shaped,  and  varies  in  weight  to  suit  the  stream  ;  and 
even  with  this  tackle,  I  do  not  find  that  I  hook  all  the  perch 
that  come  at  it.  A  sketch  of  this  paternoster  may  be  seen 
in  Plate  II,  Fig.  10,  page  49.  If  any  other  form  is  wanted 
the  angler  must  go  to  the  tackle  shops,  for  no  other  in  my 
opinion  is  worth  a  straw. 

To  use  the  paternoster,  first  be  sure  your  baits  are  alive, 


PLATE  HI. 


To  face  Page  66. 


Knots,  Hitches,  Etc. 


HOW  TO  FISH  A  PATERNOSTER  67 

and  then  commence  at  the  top  of  the  eddy  or  stream,  and  fish 
the  eye,  or  first  eddy,  carefully,  for  there  the  best  fish  lie.  Drop 
the  tackle  to  the  bottom,  keeping  a  tight  line,  so  that  the  lead 
[  touches  the  bottom,  but  with  no  slack  line  ;  let  it  rest  a  minute, 
and  if  no  bite  come,  hft  it,  and  move  it  from  left  to  right,  or 
vice  versa,  round  about  you,  until  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood is  fished  ;  then,  hfting  the  tackle  out  of  the  water,  swing 
it  out  a  yard  or  two  farther  down  stream,  let  it  rest  a  minute, 
and  then  draw  it  towards  you,  a  foot  or  so  at  a  time,  until  the 
tackle  comes  home,  when  repeat  the  cast,  lengthening  the 
distance  each  time,  until  the  place  is  fished  out,  or  you  have  to 
move  lower  down.  If  you  get  a  bite,  do  not  strike  at  the  first 
nibble,  but  drop  the  point  of  the  rod  so  as  to  yield  a  Httle  fine  ; 
but  when  you  feel  a  quick  "  pluck,  pluck,  pluck,"  strike 
firmly,  but  not  too  heavily,  and  remember  that  the  heavier 
the  fish  you  expect  to  catch,  the  more  time  you  must  give  them, 
as  they  are  slow  and  cautious,  and  if  the  hook  be  not  well 
in  their  mouths,  you  will  lose  them  to  a  certainty — when 
good-bye  to  sport.  I  always  use  a  landing-net  if  the  fish  is  over 
half  a  pound  ;  if  under,  I  lift  him  in  at  once,  as  it  saves  so 
much  time,  from  the  other  hooks  often  getting  hung  up  in 
the  net.  Take  care  how  you  handle  Master  Perch,  for  he  has 
sharp  spines  and  gill  points,  and  will  frequently  resent  rough 
and  unskilful  handling  by  a  sharp  stab  or  two. 

When  two  persons  are  patemostering  from  a  punt,  they 
should  stand  side  by  side  in  the  stem  of  the  punt,  fishing 
right  and  left,  merely  bringing  the  rod  round  to  the  fisherman, 
who  will  take  the  fish  off  and  rebait  ;  much  depends  upon  the 
puntsman,  and  his  skill  in  holding  and  managing  the  punt,  in 
ipaternostering.    A  bungler  will  be  sure  to  spoil  the  fishing. 

The  localities  in  which  to  look  for  perch  vary  with  the 
season.  Early  in  the  summer  the  angler  will  find  them  in 
the  streams,  as  in  gudgeon-swims,  into  which  they  come  when 
the  ground  is  raked  or  disturbed,  and  here  they  often  take  the 
angler's  gudgeon  worm  ravenously  ;  indeed,  perch  occasion- 
ally take  a  worm  almost  as  well,  and  in  some  cases  even  better 
than  they  do  the  minnow.  They  are  often  taken  on  the 
ledger,  and  these  are  frequently  the  best  fish  too.  Some 
time  since,  I  was  fishing  with  a  friend  on  the  Thames  ;  we  were 
dace-fishing  with  the  float  line  ;  he  had  a  paternoster  out  on 
his  side  of  the  boat  for  perch  ;  I  had  a  ledger  on  my  side  for 
barbel ;  I  had  at  least  a  dozen  bites,  and  caught  two  or  three 
nice  perch,  while  he  never  got  a  touch,  with  a  choice  minnow 


68  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  a  small  gudgeon  not  four  or  five  yards  off,  and  the  perch 
were  feeding  all  around  us.  As  the  summer  advances,  the 
perch  seek  the  deeper  and  stronger  streams,  the  quiet  eddies 
and  deep  holes  near  piles,  lock  gates,  piers  of  bridges,  corners 
of  weirs,  and  by  heavy  weed  banks.  At  this  time  they  are 
well  fed  and  cautious,  and  will  try  the  angler's  skill  to  make 
a  good  dish  of  them.  As  the  season  advances,  and  the  winter 
floods  sweep  down,  they  all  draw  into  the  great  eddies,  or  still 
corners,  particularly  after  a  sharp  frost,  and  here  they  may 
be  found  in  great  numbers  ;  and  when  the  water  is  a  Httle 
coloured,  they  may  be  taken  in  from  three  to  seven  or  eight 
feet  of  water,  or  deeper,  in  any  quantity,  as  they  are  then 
hungry,  though  in  good  condition.  As  March  comes  on,  they 
get  heavy  in  spawn,  when  they  should  not  be  disturbed. 
By  the  middle  of  April  they  get  amongst  the  weeds,  rushes, 
or  fibrous  roots  of  trees,  in  still  backwaters,  and  here  they 
deposit  their  spawn  in  long  ropy  glutinous  masses.  It  is 
astonishing  what  a  vast  number  of  eggs  the  female  perch  will 
void ;  they  are  very  small,  and  about  the  size  and  of  the 
appearance  of  little  seed  pearls.  Perch  spawn  about  the  end 
of  April,  and  get  into  fair  season  again  by  the  end  of  June. 

Perch  may  often  be  caught  with  a  spinning  minnow,  but  it 
is  not  a  very  common  method  of  angling  for  them,  though  the 
best  fish  are  usually  so  caught ;  and  I  have  known  good  execu- 
tion done  in  lakes  by  spinning,  either  with  a  minnow  (real  or 
artificial)  or  a  spoon.  Indeed,  I  almost  think,  from  my  ex- 
perience, that  I  am  justified  in  saying  that  they  take  a  spoon 
better  than  almost  any  other  spinning  bait ;  but  I  have  found 
them  prefer  the  triangular  spinner  made  of  spoon  metal 
(commonly  called  the  "  otter  ")  to  the  regular  spoon,  the  only 
reason  I  can  give  for  it  being  that  it  spins  better  and  more 
evenly  than  the  spoon,  which  wobbles  a  good  deal,  and  though 
this  is  liked  by  pike,  and  not  always  objected  to  by  trout, 
particularly  lake  trout,  it  would  seem  that  it  is  not  a  strong 
recommendation  to  perch. 

A  handful  or  two  of  gentles  or  broken  worms  will  be  found 
useful  as  ground-bait,  when  float-fishing  with  worms.  But 
whatever  you  do,  do  not  take  your  wife's  or  sister's  gold  fish 
globe  out  with  a  muslin  cover  on  it,  and  a  stock  of  lively 
minnows  inside,  under  the  supposition  that  the  perch  will 
rub  their  noses  against  the  glass,  like  cats  at  a  dairy  window, 
according  to  the  old  superstition. 

Perch  are  commonly  taken  with  the  fly  in  some  parts  of  the 


SIZE  OF  PERCH  69 

mntry,  but  this  is  a  less  general  method  of  fishing  for  them 
"even  than  spinning.  A  showy  fly  with  tinsel  on  the  body  is 
most  to  be  commended,  the  fashion  being  of  no  great  conse- 
quence, perch  not  being  very  particular  in  this  respect. 

Perch  in  this  country  seldom  exceed  four  pounds  in  weight, 
one  of  three  pounds  is  a  rarity,  while  a  two  pound  perch 
is  a  fine  fish.  They  have  been  known  to  reach  nine  pounds 
weight,  and  in  the  large  lakes  of  Germany  and  Scandinavia 
they  occasionally  reach  a  very  large  size.*  A  dish  of  half-pound 
perch,  however,  is  not  in  our  less  favoured  land  to  be  despised. f 
The  best  day's  perch-fishing  I  ever  had  was  on  the  Kennet, 
a  capital  perch  river.  I  fished  with  a  friend  and  we  took 
home  thirty-seven  perch  which  weighed  sixty  pounds — many 
of  them  weighed  two  pounds  and  some  were  over  that  weight. 
My  companion  had  three  large  perch  on  his  paternoster  at  the 
same  time  ;  he  bagged  two  of  them  :  one  was  two  pounds,  the 
other  two  pounds  and  a  quarter,  and  the  one  which  got  away 
was  larger  than  either  of  them.  We  lost  a  great  many  fine  fish 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  I  in  particular  losing  nearly  as  many 
as  I  caught.  I  had  another  excellent  day's  sport  on  the  Kennet 
last  season,  though  of  a  mixed  character,  consisting  of  pike 
and  perch,  and  which  I  have  alluded  to  in  the  chapter  on  the 
pike. 


*  Colonel  Thornton  in  his  Sporting  Tour,  chapter  iii.,  records  having 
killed  a  perch  "  of  about  seven  pounds  and  a  half  "  in  Loch  Lomond. — Ed. 

t  All  British  freshwater  fish  except  eels,  burbot  and  fish  of  the  salmon 
family,  are  devoid  of  fat.  Continental  cooks  understand  this  and  supply 
the  deficiency  by  skilful  dressing  ;  but  in  England  our  people  have  every- 
thing to  learn  in  this  matter. — Ed. 


CHAPTER  IV 

M  I  D  -  W  A  T  E  R    FISHING 
The  Pike — Spinning — Trolling  with  the  Dead  Gorge — Live  Baiting,  etc. 

THE  PIKE  {Esox  lucius) 

THE  pike  plays  no  little  part  in  the  literature  of 
angling  ;  indeed,  he  has  even  been  deemed  worthy 
of  a  book  to  himself.  Of  course  I  cannot  afford 
to  give  to  him  more  than  a  limited  space,  and  must 
treat  him  with  infinitely  more  brevity  than  Mr.  Cholmondeley 
Pennell  has  done.  But  if  the  reader  wants  to  know  not  only 
the  various  methods  of  catching  the  pike,  but  all  about  him 
— including  his  birth,  parentage,  and  education — with  the 
history  of  his  ancestors,  etc.,  then  I  commend  him  to  that 
capital  work,  The  Book  of  the  Pike. 

Pike,  under  favourable  circumstances,  grow  to  almost 
any  size  a  freshwater  fish  could  be  supposed  to  attain,  even 
to  hundreds  of  pounds.  In  this  country  they  have  rarely 
been  known  to  exceed  eighty  pounds,  but  Sir  J.  Hawkins 
speaks,  in  his  notes  to  the  Complete  Angler,  of  one  caught  at 
Lillieshall  Lime  Works,  in  1765,  which  weighed  one  hundred 
and  seventy  pounds.  (Book  of  the  Pike,  p.  15.)  Even  a 
forty-pound  fish,  however,  is  not  by  any  means  "  common 
wares  "  nowadays.  I  have  the  head  of  one  that  size  which 
was  sent  me  by  my  late  friend,  "  The  Old  Bushman,"  but 
that  was  killed  in  Sweden.  The  largest  I  ever  killed  was 
twenty- two  pounds  and  a  half,  though  I  have,  I  think,  hooked 
some  of  over  that  size,  but  it  was  when  spinning,  with  the 
old  three  or  four  triangle  tackle,  which  is  a  very  risky  method 
of  taking  large  fish,  and  they  invariably  managed,  after  a 
run  or  two,  to  discard  the  hooks.  The  story  of  the  Mannheim 
pike  has  so  often  been  referred  to  that  I  feel  bound  not  to 
pass  him  by.  Mr.  Pennell  took  much  pains  to  investigate 
that  story.    The  fish,  when  caught,  was  said  to  be  two  hundred 

70 


HABITS  OF  PIKE  71 

and  sixty-seven  years  old.  The  skeleton  was  preserved  in 
the  Mannheim  Museum,  and  was  nineteen  feet  in  length  ;  but, 
upon  being  examined  by  a  clever  anatomist,  it  was  discovered 
that  several  vertebrae  had  been  supplemented.  However 
much  or  little  of  this  story  has  been  exaggerated,  the  fact 
that  pike,  under  favourable  circumstances,  will  reach  a  very 
large  size  is  undoubted,  and  the  rate  of  growth  in  the  earUer 
years,  where  food  is  plentiful,  and  the  water  suitable,  is 
astonishingly  rapid.  Mr.  Simeon,  in  his  admirable  Stray 
Notes  on  Natural  History,  cites  an  instance  in  which  pike  had 
increased  to  nearly  twenty  pounds  weight  (from  two  or  three) 
in  eighteen  months,  or  at  the  rate  of  almost  ten  or  eleven 
pounds  a  year. 

The  pike  is  from  his  habits  a  solitary  fish,  though  big  ones 
are  often  found  in  pairs  ;  and  after  floods  and  frosts  they 
may,  Hke  perch,  be  found  collected  together  in  numbers,  in 
any  favourable  eddy,  such  as  the  mouth  of  a  back-water,  or 
the  tail  of  an  island,  the  ends  of  old  locks,  reed  or  rush  beds, 
the  corners  of  tumbling  bays,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  favourite 
holds.  They  spawn  from  March  till  May,  in  ditches  and  back- 
waters, and,  after  a  short  rest,  they  scour  themselves  in  the 
streams,  and  then  take  up  their  regular  habitation  and 
hunting-grounds  for  the  season.  The  pike,  when  young, 
and  up  to  about  four  pounds  weight,  has  been  called  a  jack, 
until  by  degrees  it  has  often  come  to  be  called  a  jack,  no 
matter  of  what  size  it  may  be.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
omnivorous  fish  that  swims,  and,  when  hungry,  nothing 
living,  and  few  things  dead,  come  amiss  to  it.  I  have  known 
pike  to  take  plummets  and  floats  when  in  motion,  under  the 
idea  that  they  were  edibles,  and  retain  their  hold  of  them  for 
some  space  in  spite  of  strong  puUing.  Yet,  where  they  are 
well  fed,  and  are  much  fished  for,  they  get  tolerably  shy  and 
wideawake  ;  and  a  pike  that  has  been  run  once  or  twice  and 
roughly  handled,  is  apt  to  come  at  the  bait  somewhat 
cautiously. 

In  fishing  for  pike,  regard  is  to  be  had  as  to  whether  you 
wish  to  take  them,  big  or  little,  indiscriminately,  or  whether 
you  desire  only  to  kill  those  over  a  certain  size,  returning  all 
others  to  the  water.  If  the  latter  be  your  aim,  no  gorge  bait 
of  any  kind  should  be  allowed,  and  the  angler  should  be 
confined  to  spinning  or  snap-fishing.  If,  however,  the  former 
be  your  wish,  you  may  use  any  bait  or  style  that  suits  your 
purpose. 


k 


72  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  most  sportsmanlike  way  of  fishing  for  pike  is  certainly 
by  spinning,  which  is  thus  practised.  The  angler  takes  a 
small  fish  (gudgeon,  dace,  or  bleak  are  preferable — if  these 
cannot  be  obtained,  he  may  use  any  other  small  fish  which 
he  can  get),  he  then  hooks  the  fish  on  to  his  line  by  a  certain 
arrangement  of  hooks  called  a  flight  or  set,  so  that  by  com- 
municating a  crook  to  the  body  or  tail,  it  may,  when  drawn 
through  the  water,  revolve  rapidly  on  the  screw  principle. 
In  order  to  permit  the  bait  so  to  revolve  without  twisting 
the  line,  a  tackle  called  a  trace  is  used.  This  is  about  four  or 
five  feet  long,  and  consists  of  a  few  strands  of  stout  salmon 
gut,  or  of  gut  twisted,  or  even  of  gimp,  linked  together  with 
a  couple  of  swivels  at  intervals,  about  eighteen  inches  apart, 
a  third  swivel  being  sometimes  used,  to  connect  this  part  of 
the  tackle  with  the  running  or  reel  line ;  a  good  large  loop 
being  left  at  the  other  end  of  the  trace  to  loop  the  flight  of 
hooks  on,  or  for  the  purpose  of  changing  them  at  pleasure. 
A  drawing  of  a  trace  may  be  seen  surrounding  the  spinning 
flights  in  Plate  IV.  The  trace  should  not  be  less  than  from 
a  yard  to  four  feet  long,  and  not  more  than  five,  or  it  will 
be  found  awkward  in  casting.  Between  the  swivels  the  lead 
or  sinker  is  to  be  fastened.  In  ponds,  where  the  weeds 
come  very  near  the  surface,  a  sinker  may  be  dispensed  with, 
and  the  bait  be  allowed  to  run  almost  along  the  surface 
of  the  water.  In  this  instance,  the  simpler  the  arrangement 
of  hooks  and  the  fewer  there  are  of  them,  the  better. 

The  sinker  most  usually  adopted  is  the  long,  round,  per- 
forated lead,  which  is  shown  in  Plate  IV,  Fig.  6,  and  through 
which  the  gimp  is  run.  Some  anglers  use  large  shot ;  these 
are  sometimes  squeezed  or  bitten  on  to  the  line,  and  the  gimp 
or  gut  thus  so  forcibly  compressed  cannot  but  be  damaged 
and  weakened.  Others  use  a  set  of  perforated  shot  with 
loops  at  each  end,  which  is  linked  on  in  the  middle  of  the 
trace  between  two  swivels ;  but  perforated  shot  cut  the 
gimp  in  time,  while  some  bite  a  number  of  shot  on  to  a  loose 
piece  of  gimp  or  gut,  and  then  lash  the  set  of  shot  on  to  the 
trace.  But  all  these  plans  have  this  objection — the  lead 
turns  with  the  line,  the  twist,  in  spite  of  any  number  of  swivels, 
is  communicated  to  the  running  Hne  and  thus,  when  the 
twist  gets  into  it  it  snarls,  and  kinks,  and  tangles,  so  that  it 
will  not  run  through  the  rings,  which  is  very  trying  to  the 
temper.  Mr.  Pennell,  in  order  to  prevent  this,  brought  out  a 
means  of  fixing  the  lead  to  the  line,  which  certainly  has  the 


SPINNING  FOR  PIKE  73 

intended  effect.  The  pipe  lead  has  a  wire  run  through  it, 
which  is  attached  to  the  trace  by  a  wire  eye  at  one  end  and 
one  or  two  swivels  at  the  other  (see  Plate  IV,  Fig.  7).  This 
struck  me  as  being  a  little  cumbrous,  and  I  brought  out  the 
"  Field  "  lead  (see  Plate  IV,  Fig.  8),  which  is  secured  from 
shifting  by  a  small  plug  thrust  into  the  pipe  to  jamb  the  line  ; 
and,  from  experience,  I  can  say  that  it  answers  thoroughly. 
With  these  leads,  at  least  two  swivels  should  be  between  the 
lead  and  the  hooks,  as  all  the  twist  is  in  that  part  of  the  trace. 
According  to  the  depth  or  swiftness  of  the  water  or  stream 
to  be  fished,  so  should  the  weight  of  the  lead  be  ;  and  this  is 
a  point  to  which  considerable  attention  should  be  paid,  as  it 
is  sometimes  necessary  to  fish  deep,  and  sometimes  to  fish 
shallow.  Of  the  two,  I  prefer  to  fish  deep,  as  the  less  distance 
a  pike  has  to  come  after  the  bait  the  better,  for  pike  will  not 
always  come  to  the  top  of  the  water  after  the  bait  even  if 
they  see  it ;  and  when  they  do  come,  they  will  see  the  decep- 
tion so  much  more  easily  that,  if  they  are  not  tolerably  hungry, 
they  will  often  refuse  the  bait.  This  is  especially  the  case 
with  good  fish.  Many  a  time  have  I,  when  fishing  rather  high, 
seen  a  good  ten  or  a  dozen  pounder  come  up  with  a  dash  at 
the  bait,  and  after  following  it  for  a  yard  or  two,  turn  tail 
and  leave  it,  when,  probably,  had  I  been  fishing  deep,  he  would 
just  have  put  his  nose  out  of  the  weed  and  snapped  my  bait. 
But  there  is  a  great  advantage  in  fishing  high  when  the  fish 
are  hungry.  You  cover  so  much  more  ground — that  is  to 
say,  the  fish  can  see  the  bait  so  much  farther  off.  If  the 
angler  will  glance  at  the  diagram  in  Plate  VI,  page  93,  he 
will  see  what  I  mean.  A  is  one  spinning-bait  fished  high, 
B  is  another  fished  low.  Now,  pike  at  C  and  D,  and  all  within 
that  range  will  easily  see  A,  whereas  B  will  scarcely  be  seen 
farther  off  than  E  and  F.  Still,  if  the  fish  are  running  shyly, 
two  trolls  or  throws  in  the  position  of  B  are  preferable  to  one 
at  A.  Of  course,  if  the  fish  are  well  on  the  feed,  and  are  ranging 
for  food,  it  will  matter  little  whether  the  angler  fishes  high  or 
low,  as  within  any  reasonable  distance  his  bait  will  be  seen 
laterally,  and  probably  run  at.  Whether  it  be  taken  or  no, 
however,  of  course  depends  on  the  opinion  the  fish  forms  of 
it  on  nearer  inspection.  One  point  the  angler  should  bear  in 
mind,  viz.  that  (provided  the  bait  turns  round  fairly,  so  as 
to  display  itself  well  and  hide  the  hooks)  he  cannot  spin  too 
slowly,  and  if  he  oi'^r-weights  his  hne,  in  order  to  keep  it  clear 
of  the  weeds  at  the  bottom,  he  will  be  obliged  to  spin  so 


74  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

quickly,  or  to  draw  the  bait  along  so  rapidly,  that  he  will 
not  give  the  pike  a  fair  chance  of  biting.  Too  swift  spinning 
is  a  great  fault,  and  it  is,  indeed,  too  common  a  fault  in  these 
fast  days.  The  angler  Ukes  to  be  always  throwing.  "  Swish  !  " 
— out  goes  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  line.  "  There's  a  throw. 
Smith,  my  boy  !  "  He  likes  to  see  his  bait  spin  like  a  humming 
top.  "  Look  at  that,  Smith,  my  boy  !  can  you  make  a  bait 
spin  like  that  ?  "  Possibly  Smith  cannot  make  a  bait  spin 
in  that  wonderful  way,  and  cannot  throw  above  twenty  or 
thirty  yards  of  line,  but  somehow  Smith,  with  a  short  line, 
runs  more  fish  than  our  fast  friend.  It  has  been  the  popular 
myth  that  a  bait  traveUing  at  railway  pace,  and  spinning 
like  one  long  line  of  silver,  is  the  correct  thing,  because  it 
imitates  a  fish  in  an  agony  of  terror.  This  argument  is  sheer 
nonsense,  as  fish  do  not  conduct  themselves  hke  dancing 
dervishes  or  ballet-masters,  and  perform  pirouettes  when  in 
a  fright.  They  run  away  and  turn,  perhaps,  from  side  to  side, 
as  the  swimmer  does,  to  gain  increased  power  by  concen- 
trating every  effort  now  to  one  point,  and  then,  as  a  relief, 
to  the  other.  The  long,  slow  wobble  of  a  badly  spinning  bait 
is  much  more  like  the  real  thing  no  doubt,  but  it  is  necessary 
to  make  the  fish  turn  somewhat  rapidly  in  order  that  the 
pike  may  not  have  too  much  uninterrupted  inspection  of  the 
eight  or  ten  hooks  that  encumber  one  side  of  the  lure,  and  in 
order  to  present  the  silver  side,  constantly  changing  and 
flashing  in  the  light,  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  fish,  which 
a  badly  spinning  bait  will  not  do  ;  and  it  is  to  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  unless  the  bait  spins  very  well  indeed  when  drawn 
rapidly  through  the  water,  it  will,  when  drawn  only  moderately 
slowly,  as  is  preferable,  hardly  spin  at  all ;  therefore  it  is 
desirable  that  the  bait  should  spin  well. 

The  best  kind  of  line  for  spinning,  unless  the  angler  be 
fishing  with  Nottingham  tackle,  or  casting  from  the  reel, 
is  plaited  silk  dressed.  In  choosing  the  line,  see  that  it  be 
neither  too  fine  nor  too  bulky.  If  it  be  too  fine  it  will  be 
constantly  kinking  in  throwing,  and  it  will  not  stand  the 
requisite  amount  of  wear  and  tear  attendant  on  jack-fishing. 
If  it  be  too  bulky  it  does  not  go  so  freely  through  the  rings, 
and  much  shortens  the  cast,  besides  being  too  visible  to  the 
fish.  If  very  heavy  baits  be  required  and  large  fish  be  ex- 
pected a  stouter  line  must  of  course  be  used.  Select  a  line 
that  is  neither  too  dry  nor  too  sticky  as  regards  the  dressing. 
If  it  be  too  dry  the  dressing  on  the  line  cracks  in  places  and 


THE  PIKE  ROD  75 

the  line  becomes  more  like  a  land  measuring  chain  than  a 
fishing  Hne  ;  and  if  it  be  too  soft  and  sticky  it  is  a  perpetual 
nuisance  in  casting,  causing  endless  kinking,  and  the  dressing 
very  soon  wears  off.  It  should  be  fifty  or  sixty  yards  long — 
not  that  so  much  will  be  often  required  in  fishing,  but  when 
used  well  at  one  end  it  can  be  turned  end  for  end  with  advan- 
tage and  answers  all  the  purpose  of  a  new  line.* 

The  rod  used  in  spinning  for  jack  should  be  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  in  length,  with  sufficient  of  spring 
in  it  to  cast  a  bait  well  and  yet  with  good  substance  to  stand 
the  strain  and  plunges  of  heavy  fish  should  weeds  intervene.! 
Some  anglers  prefer  the  rod  made  of  cane  ;  but  if  it  be  made  of 
cane,  the  only  kind  that  should  be  used  for  it  is  bamboo,  the 
other  canes  having  hardly  sufficient  substance  in  them. 
Other  persons  prefer  it  made  of  solid  wood,  and  of  all  woods 
hickory  is  the  best,  with  a  strong  spliced  top.  That  is  the 
rod  I  prefer.  But,  whichever  may  be  adapted,  the  rod  should 
be  ringed  with  good  sized  stout,  upright  rings,  to  allow  the 
line  to  run  through  them  with  perfect  freedom.  If  the  angle 
does  not  require  to  convey  the  rod  from  place  to  place,  but  is 
in  the  habit  of  fishing  the  same  water,  and  has  a  convenient 
place  for  it,  a  single  stick  of  bamboo,  with  winch  fittings  and 
a  short  solid  spliced  top  spliced  into  it,  will  be  found  as  useful 
and  effective  a  rod  as  can  be  employed.  I  used  a  similar  one 
for  years  when  I  almost  lived  on  the  Thames,  and  never  had 
reason  to  complain  of  it,  as  it  was  both  light  and  powerful. 
It  will  be  found  very  advantageous  with  the  ordinary  rod  to 
have  two  tops,  the  one  a  little  shorter  and  stiffer  than  the 
other,  for  heavy  baits  and  big  fish,  as  the  use  of  heavy  baits 
with  an  ordinary  top  would  soon  strain  and  wear  it  out.  Atten- 
tion should  be  paid  from  time  to  time  to  the  eye  at  the  top  of 
the  rod  whence  the  line  is  delivered,  as  this  is  apt  to  wear 
into  grooves  from  the  constant  running  friction  of  the  fine, 
and  if  not  seen  to,  these  grooves  get  so  sharp  that  they  will 
in  once  or  twice  using  cut  all  the  dressing  off  even  a  new  line. 
A  very  good  plan  is  to  have  enclosed  in  the  wire  eye  a  movable 
bone  or  mother-of-pearl  ring,  which  can  be  turned  round  at 
pleasure  so  as  to  shift  the  place  over  which  the  line  runs. 
Many  eyes  have  been  invented  for  the  purpose  of  delivering 
the   line   with    the   least   amount   of   friction,    and    various 

♦  The  fine,  but  exceedingly  strong,  line  used  in  tarpon  fishing  has  largely 
supplanted  the  dressed  silk  lines  in  the  use  of  spinning  baits — Ed. 

t  The  length  of  pike  rods  has  been  generally  reduced  in  late  years, — Ed  . 


76  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

mechanical  contrivances  have  been  put  into  use,  but  I  have 
seen  none  yet  worth  adopting.* 

A  plain  winch  is  best  with  not  too  heavy  a  check,  so  as  to 
run  the  line  off  easily  if  the  fish  requires  it.  A  winch  that 
will  hold  sixty  or  seventy  yards  of  medium  sized  dressed 
eight-plait  line  is  desirable,  and  it  should  be  pretty  stout  in 
the  frame,  as  it  will  have  to  stand  wear  and  tear  and  rough 
usage  in  all  sorts  of  weathers.  For  this  reason  the  metal 
reels  will  be  found  preferable  to  the  wooden  ones. 

The  last,  and  perhaps  most  important,  point  to  be  con- 
sidered is  the  flight  of  hooks  on  which  the  bait  is  to  be  fixed  ; 
and  about  this  there  is  a  great  variety  of  opinions,  some 
anglers  preferring  large  hooks  and  some  small  hooks,  some 
many  hooks  and  some  few,  some  triangles  brazed  or  unbrazed, 
some  doubles  and  some  singles  ;  in  fact,  almost  every  possible 
combination  of  hooks  and  gut  or  gimp  has  been  tried.  The 
tackle  in  most  general  use  is  the  old-fashioned  three  triangles 
with  a  shding  hp-hook  (see  Plate  IV,  Fig.  i,  p.  76).  Some  use 
four  triangles  and  a  lip-hook,  some  have  a  double  set  of  hooks 
or  a  triangle  or  two  on  either  side  of  the  bait ;  but  I  have 
never  found  that  the  multipl5dng  of  hooks  beyond  a  certain 
point  increases  the  certainty  of  capture — rather,  indeed,  the 
reverse,  for  the  hooks  are  apt  to  entangle  and  one  interferes 
with  the  action  of  the  other.  I  have  seen  the  hooks  which 
have  been  rejected  by  a  pike  on  several  occasions  come  up 
all  hooked  and  tangled  together,  almost  in  a  ball,  and  each 
hook  had  evidently  been  instrumental  in  dragging  the  other 
from  its  hold.  How  much  more  useful  would  have  been  one 
single  fair-sized  hook  well  stuck  in.  Added  to  this,  anglers 
should  remember  that  it  is  far  more  difficult  to  drive  four  or 
five  hooks  simultaneously  into  the  jaw  of  a  jack  than  it  is 
to  drive  one.  Let  the  angler  take  a  single  hook,  place  the 
point  against  any  substance  and  give  it  a  pull  so  as  to  embed 
the  barb,  and  then  let  him  take  an  ordinary  spinning  flight 
and  fix  the  points  of  two  hooks  in  each  triangle  on  the  same 
substance  and  take  a  pull  at  the  flight,  and  I  do  not  think  I 
am  far  out  in  my  calculation  when  I  say  that  it  requires  five 
times  the  force  to  bury  the  barbs  of  the  many  that  would  be 
required  for  the  single  hook,  and  of  course  the  more  the 
number  of  hooks  is  increased  the  less  chance  there  is  of  the 
barbs  being  buried,  and  consequently  the  greater  chance 
there  is  of  the  pike's  getting  off  the  tackle.    The  angler  may 

*  Experienced  pike  fishers  speak  well  of  agate  or  porcelain  eyes. — Ed, 


PLATE  IV. 


To  facf  Pa^e  76 


Spinning  Flights.  Leads,  Etc. 


SPINNING  TACKLE  77 

depend  upon  it  that  the  simpler  the  tackle,  and  the  fewer 
hooks  there  are  in  it  (combined  with  a  fair  arming  of  the 
bait  and  a  reasonable  chance  of  hooking  the  fish  of  course), 
the  better.  A  great  many  pike  do  continually  escape  from 
spinning  tackle,  and  these  are  mostly  the  best  fish  ;  and  a 
very  hard  stroke  is  required  to  send  the  hooks  home  beyond 
the  barbs  if  many  and  good-sized  hooks  are  used.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  this  is  always  so,  because  it  may  happen  that 
only  one  hook  comes  in  contact  with  the  pike's  jaw,  but  this 
is  certainly  exceptional.  Another  reason  for  harder  striking 
than  would  at  first  seem  necessary  is  this  :  the  pike,  when 
he  seizes  the  bait,  takes  it  across  his  jaws,  that  is,  the  head 
and  tail  protrude  on  each  side  of  his  mouth.  Savage  perhaps 
with  hunger  and  rage  he  drives  his  long  tusks  almost  through 
the  bait.  Now,  the  hooks  being  also  buried  in  the  bait,  they 
must  either  be  torn  out  of  it,  or  the  bait  be  dislodged  from  the 
firm  grip  of  the  pike's  tusks,  before  the  hooks  can  be  stuck 
into  him.  It  often  happens  that  the  angler  will  play  a  good 
pike  for  some  minutes  solely  by  the  fish  having  his  teeth 
stuck  deeply  into  the  bait,  and  not  having  the  sense  to  open 
his  mouth,  or  from  his  refusing  to  relinquish  his  prey.  The 
first  time  he  comes  to  the  surface  of  the  water  he  gasps  for 
breath,  his  huge  mouth  gapes,  he  gives  his  head  a  shake  and 
out  tumbles  the  bait,  hooks  and  all,*  not  one  of  them  having 
had  hold.  Away  then  goes  pikey,  quite  satisfied  with  his 
entertainment  pro  tern.,  and  wondering  what  that  ugly  two- 
legged  monster  with  the  hop-pole  in  his  hand,  and  who  looked 
in  such  a  state  of  perplexity  and  stew,  had  to  do  with  the 
matter.  There  is  another  reason  why  pike  often  get  off  through 
the  barbs  of  the  hooks  not  being  fleshed  in  the  pike,  and  that 
is,  from  the  bad  shape  of  the  hooks,  the  points  being  far  too 
long  and  the  barbs  much  too  rank.  I  have  touched  more 
fully  on  this  subject  in  the  chapter  on  hooks. 

But,  to  return  to  that  important  point,  the  flight  of  hooks. 
The  tackle  with  three  triangles  and  a  sliding  lip-hook  has 
perhaps  the  greatest   number  of   admirers  of   any.     Some 

♦  Another  reason  why  a  pike  is  often  thus  held,  is  owing  to  the  peculiar 
shape  of  his  teeth.  Let  the  angler  examine  the  mouth  of  a  pike,  and  note 
how  it  is  made  for  holding.  The  tusks  curve  slightly  backwards  and  inwards 
from  the  lower  jaw,  while  all  the  upper  teeth,  particularly  the  palatel  teeth, 
are  bent  directly  back  towards  the  throat,  therefore  the  angler  will  easily 
perceive  that  if  those  teeth  were  buried  in  a  bait,  and  the  bait  were  drawn 
firmly  forwards,  it  would  not  be  an  easy  thing  for  the  pike  to  disengage 
himself  by  any  other  method  than  the  one  suggested,  and  which  he  very 
commonly  adopts. — F.  F. 


I 


78  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

anglers  like  to  add  a  reverse  hook,  or  a  hook  tied  on  the 
reverse  way,  just  above  the  tail  triangle,  in  order  to  secure 
the  crooking  of  the  tail ;   and  this  is  a  very  useful  addition, 
as  it  keeps  the  crook  in  form  and  protects  and  holds  the  bait 
together.     In  the  common  three  triangle  pattern  too  great 
space  should  not  be  allowed  between  the  tail  triangle  and 
the  second  one,  or  the  tail  will  have  too  much  play  and  the 
bait  will  not  spin  properly.    If  the  three  triangles  are  short 
for  the  bait  more  space  between  the  other  triangles  is  preferable. 
To  bait  the  three  triangle  tackle,  take  a  small  fish  (a  dace, 
gudgeon,  or  bleak),  stick  one  of  the  hooks  of  the  lowest  triangle 
into  the  flesh  of  the  tail,  bringing  the  point  out  on  the  same 
side  so  that  the  shanks  of  the  hooks  may  be  in  a  straight  line 
along  the  side  of  the  bait,  draw  the  tail  up  so  as  to  bend  or 
crook  it,  and  insert  one  of  the  hooks  of  the  second  triangle  in 
the  middle  of  the  side,  about  or  a  httle  below  the  vent ;  stick 
one  of  the  hooks  of  the  third  triangle  into  the  middle  of  the 
side  near  the  shoulder.    It  should,  if  the  bait  is  suited  to  the 
size  of  the  tackle,  go  in  just  below  the  pectoral  fins ;    then, 
having  slid  the  Hp-hook  down  to  the  proper  distance  so  as 
neither  to  bend  the  head  of  the  bait  nor  allow  it  to  be  too 
loose,  put  the  lip-hook  through  both  lips  of  the  bait,  the 
point  being  upwards.    Examine  the  drawing  of  the  Hp-hook 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  gimp  passes  two  or  three  times 
round  the  shank  in  order  to  secure  it  from  slipping ;    by  a 
httle  manipulation  the  Hp-hook  can  be  sHd  up  or  down  so 
that  the  head  can  be  slackened  or  tightened  at  will.     The 
gimp  is  wound  on  or  unwound  from  the  shank  of  the  Hp- 
hook  very  easily  if  it  be  unlooped  from  the  rest  of  the  trace, 
by  passing  the  end  of  the  gimp  under  each  turn.     It  is 
difficult  to  explain  either  in  words  or  by  a  drawing   this 
operation  which  is  very  simple  if  once  seen.     If  the  bait  be 
put  on  properly,  the  three  triangles  will  be  in  a  straight  line, 
along  the  side  of  the  bait,  and  there  will  be  no  loose  gimp 
between  them  (see  Plate  V,  Fig.  i).     If  the  gimp  be  loose 
between  the  hooks,  the  bait  when  drawn  against  the  water 
"  buckles  "  as  it  is  termed,  i.e.  bends  back  as  if  the  backbone 
were  broken,  and  this  will  be  found  fatal  to  spinning  (see 
Plate  V,  Fig.  3).     If,  on  the  other  hand,  it  be  too  short  and 
tight,  the  bait  is  bent  the  other  way,  and  will  wobble  too 
much  (see  Plate  V,  Fig.  4).    The  hooks  being  all  firmly  fixed, 
if  the  bait  appears  to  hang  straight  and  fairly  on  them,  drop 
it  into  the  water  and  draw  it  rapidly  along  ;  if  it  spins  to  suit 


PLATE  V. 


Tojace  Page  78. 


Spinnivg  Tackles  Baited. 


BAITING  THE  TACKLE  79 

your  mind,  proceed  to  fish  with  it.  If  it  does  not,  tighten 
or  slacken  the  Up  or  the  shoulder-hooks  or  both  as  the  case 
may  seem  to  require,  and  try  it  again.  These  directions  are 
to  suit  a  dace  or  gudgeon  or  other  round-bodied  fish.  With 
a  more  flat-bodied  fish,  as  a  bleak  or  roach,  instead  of  the 
bait  hanging  quite  straight  upon  the  hooks,  the  head  should 
be  bent  a  little  down  towards  the  tail,  and  the  body  on  the 
side  opposite  to  the  hooks  should  have  somewhat  of  the 
curve  displayed  by  the  back  of  the  bowl  of  a  spoon  (see  Plate 
V,  Fig.  2) .  Put  on  properly  thus  a  bleak  or  even  a  roach  may 
be  made  to  spin  quite  as  well  and  sometimes  better  than  a 
dace  or  gudgeon.  The  directions  given  by  many  old  writers 
to  compress  the  body  by  tying  it  round  and  round  with  white 
silk  are  quite  unnecessary.  Poor  old  Tom  Rosewell,  of  Marlow, 
was  the  first  man  who  showed  me  how  a  bleak  should  be 
put  on,  and  when  he  put  one  on  and  spun  it,  you  could  see 
nothing  but  one  long  even  line  of  silver.  I  am  particular 
in  these  directions  as  it  has  been  the  fashion  hitherto  with 
many  authors  to  pretend  that  the  putting  on  of  a  bait  cannot 
be  explained,  but  the  yoimg  hand  is  directed  to  go  to  a  Thames 
fisherman  and  to  get  him  to  show  him  how  to  do  it.  This  is 
all  very  well,  and  I  by  no  means  disparage  the  advice,  for  the 
Thames  fishermen  are  the  best  spinners  in  the  world  ;  but  it 
is  not  everybody  who  can  go  to  a  Thames  fisherman  and  take 
lessons.  Practice  alone  will  enable  the  young  hand  to  put 
a  bait  on  with  any  certainty  of  its  spinning  well,  or  (as  even 
old  hands  cannot  always  be  quite  sure  of  this)  will  enable 
him  at  once  to  know  how  to  rectify  it  if  it  does  not.  But  I 
think  by  following  the  above  instructions  and  studying  the 
cuts  given,  that,  if  in  time  he  is  not  able  to  succeed,  he  must 
have  less  appreciation  and  readiness  than  a  fisherman  ought 
to  have.  The  same  directions  will  answer  to  the  letter  when 
I  come  to  touch  on  spinning  for  large  trout. 

If  the  angler  chooses  to  have  tackle  with  four  triangles, 
the  only  difference  will  be  that  the  triangles  will  be  closer 
together,  but  in  inserting  the  hooks  the  angler  must  follow 
the  instructions  already  given.  He  can  also  have  hooks  on 
the  reverse  side  as  well,  but  as  these  are  supplementary  hooks 
they  have  merely  to  be  stuck  loosely  into  the  bait  so  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  hang  of  it,  this  depending  entirely  on  the 
main  set.  I  do  not  recommend  them,  however,  unless  the 
fish  are  very  large  and  hungry,  the  tackle  very  stout,  and  very 
heavy  striking  be  the  order  of  the  day.    With  these  conditions 


8o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

they  are  very  deadly,  for  I  once  used  a  double  set  of  this  kind 
made  of  large  mackerel  hooks  (having  no  others),  and  through- 
out one  whole  day  /  killed  every  fish  I  struck, "^  and  they  were 
not  few,  numbering  thirty-six.  This  took  place  at  For  ding- 
bridge  on  the  Avon,  in  Hampshire,  many  years  since  ;  but 
the  whilom  worthy  host  of  the  Star,  Mr.  Stewart,  who  wanted 
the  pike  taken  out  of  the  stream,  as  they  had  almost  destroyed 
all  the  trout  will,  if  still  alive,  well  remember  the  slaughter  of 
that  day ;  the  strike,  however,  would  almost  have  broken 
ordinary  hooks  and  tackle.  I  had  used  a  single  set  of  small 
brazed  triangles  the  day  before  and  lost  a  great  number  of 
fish,  and  so  resorted  to  these  in  desperation  :  almost  every 
stroke  took  one  or  two  hooks  clean  through  the  jaws.  Where 
pike  are  at  all  shy,  this  tackle  would  be  useless,  as  there  was 
visible  more  of  the  hooks  than  of  the  bait.  If  the  angler 
wishes  to  fish  very  neatly  and  without  show,  he  can,  if  using 
the  white  brazed  triangles,  wrap  the  silk  lapping  over  with 
stout  silver  foil.  This  will  protect  the  silk  from  the  fishes' 
teeth,  show  little  or  nothing  to  alarm,  and,  if  anything,  lend 
an  attractive  brilliancy  to  the  bait. 

Before  using  any  tackle  composed  of  brazed  triangles,  the 
angler  should  test  each  hook  carefully,  more  particularly  if 
they  are  at  all  old  or  have  been  used  and  laid  by  for  any  length 
of  time,  or  if  they  show  any  trace  of  rust,  as  the  brazing  often 
destroys  the  tempering  of  the  hooks  ;  at  least,  I  conclude  so, 
as  I  have  frequently  found  hooks  in  the  state  I  have  mentioned, 
though  apparently  stout  and  well  looking,  snap  at  the  sHghtest 
stroke,  and  many  a  good  fish  have  I  thus  lost  from  neglecting 
this  necessary  precaution. 

The  simplest  tackle  in  the  way  of  triangles  I  have  met  with 
is  that  used  by  the  Nottingham  spinners.  It  is  composed  of 
only  two  triangles  and  a  lip-hook.  The  lip-hook  is  a  fixed  one. 
The  loop  of  the  gimp  is  passed  up  through  the  gill  of  the  fish 

*  Only  twice  in  my  life  have  I  ever  achieved  this  feat  when  I  have  had 
any  large  number  of  fish  run.  The  largest  fish  was  ten  pounds  ;  the  rest 
about  three  and  four  pounds  each.  The  day  was  very  windy  and  boisterous, 
and  the  fish  hungry.  Mr.  Stewart  and  myself  had  as  many  fish  to  carry 
home  as  we  could  manage.  The  set  of  hoolcs  I  used  was  very  large,  and 
had  three  triangles  on  one  side  and  one  on  the  other.  I  gave  the  fish  plenty 
of  time,  and  then  struck  them  as  hard  as  I  could  with  safety  to  my  rod. 
Usually,  the  angler  will  find  that  upon  a  fair  average  he  loses  fully  one- 
third  of  the  runs  he  has,  if  he  keeps  a  fair  and  honest  score.  On  some  days 
he  will  lose  nearly  a  half  when  the  fish  run  badly,  on  others  of  course  much 
less  ;  this  may  be  modified  to  some  small  extent  by  improved  tackle,  but 
there  will  alwavs  remain  a  considerable  percentage  of  scratched  and  lost 
fish.— F.  F. 


FEW  HOOKS  RECOMMENDED  8i 

and  out  of  the  mouth,  the  Up-hook  being  carefully  manoeuvred 
through  also  ;  this  is  then  turned  and  hooked  through  the  lips 
in  the  usual  way.  The  first  triangle  goes  into  the  shoulder, 
and  the  last  is  brought  up  and  hooked  in  over  the  tail  part  of 
the  back,  just  behind  the  dorsal  fin,  the  bait  being  drawn  up 
so  as  to  communicate  a  bend  or  crook  to  the  body,  and  the 
bend  is  thus  given  to  the  middle  of  the  bait  instead  of  the  tail 
(see  Plate  V,  Fig.  7,  p.  78) .  The  flight  is  then  looped  on  to  the 
trace  and  is  ready  for  use.  It  is  a  simple  and  effective  method  ; 
and  a  bait  thus  put  on,  if  it  be  properly  hung,  spins  very  well, 
and  shows  enough  arming  sufficiently  disposed  over  the  main 
parts  of  the  body  to  hook  any  fish  that  runs  and  takes  it  fairly. 
Nottingham  fishers  more  often  use  a  roach  for  baiting  in  this 
way  than  any  other  fish,  and  certainly  a  roach  thus  baited 
spins  with  even  less  difficulty  than  it  does  when  baited  on  a 
Thames  tackle  with  the  tail  crooked  as  is  the  custom 
there. 

Some  time  since  I  invented  a  tackle  for  Thames  trout,  which 
was  also  made  up  by  the  tackle  makers  for  pike.  The  object 
of  that  tackle  was  to  obtain  fewer  but  more  effective  hooks. 
It  was  a  modification  of  Col.  Hawker's,  or,  as  Mr.  Pennell 
reminds  us,  Salter's  tackle,  with  a  single  instead  of  double 
strand  of  gut,  a  sliding  lip-hook,  and  no  lead  cap.  If  the  angler 
will  turn  to  the  chapter  on  spinning  for  trout  he  will  find  the 
circumstances  relating  to  that  tackle  described,  and  in  Plate 
IX,  Fig.  7,  page  211,  he  will  find  an  engraving  of  the  tackle. 
I  originally  intended  this  tackle  to  be  baited  by  detaching 
the  two  portions  and  baiting  the  hook  with  the  assistance  of  a 
bait  needle  ;  but  this  process  was  troublesome  and  the  tackle 
was  abandoned  for  pike.  Lately,  however,  I  have  used  it  in  a 
different  manner,  and  in  the  way  I  now  employ  it  it  is,  either 
for  small  trout  with  minnow  bait,  or  for  large  ones  and  pike, 
with  a  gudgeon  or  moderate  sized  dace,  the  most  effective 
tackle  by  far  that  I  have  ever  used.  The  way  to  bait  it  is  to 
draw  the  lip-hook  and  triangle  up  out  of  the  way.  Then  put 
the  hook  in  at  the  mouth  and  out  at  the  gills,  and  in  again 
at  the  gills  down  through  the  body  of  the  fish  close  to  the  spine, 
and  out  at  the  side  about  two-thirds  down  the  body  ;  draw 
up  the  line  in  the  mouth  so  as  to  crook  or  bend  the  body  slightly 
somewhat  in  the  shape  observable  in  Plate  V,  Fig.  7,  page  78, 
the  big  hook  coming  out  of  the  side  just  below  the  lower  or  end 
triangle  there  shown.  The  Up-hook  is  then  fixed,  and  the 
triangle  stuck  in,  either  on  the  near  or  the  off  side.    I  prefer  the 


I 


82  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

off  side,  as  it  gives  a  better  chance  of  hooking  the  fish.  Now 
the  only  difficulty  in  this  tackle  is  the  fixing  of  the  lip-hook, 
which,  in  the  form  shown  in  the  engraving,  would  give  some 
trouble,  and  that  I  meet  by  having  only  one  loop  on  the  lip- 
hook  instead  of  two.  I  only  tie  one  good  stout  loop  on  to  the 
lip-hook  at  the  top  of  the  shank,  and  when  I  push  the  Up-hook 
down  to  the  mouth  I  can  without  any  difficulty  turn  the  main 
line,  which  holds  the  big  hook,  three  or  four  times  round  the 
shank  of  the  lip-hook.  This  secures  the  lip-hook  in  its  place, 
and  holds  the  triangle  pretty  firmly.  This  tackle  is  extremely 
simple  and  exceedingly  effective  ;  I  think  that  without  doubt 
it  combines  the  maximum  of  simpHcity  and  effectiveness 
with  the  minimum  of  hooks.  And  having  hit  upon  this  plan 
of  baiting  the  tackle,  and  being  quite  satisfied  of  its  efficiency, 
I  shall  now  never  use  any  other.  I  used  it  all  the  last  season 
and  had  some  capital  sport  with  it,  holding  and  killing  more 
large  fish  with  it,  and  losing  fewer  fish  than  I  have  lost  for 
years.  I  had  on  the  Kennet  perhaps  the  best  half  a  day's 
pike  spinning  I  ever  had  in  my  life  with  this  tackle,  running 
and  hooking  on  ten  fish  without  losing  one,  the  average  weight 
of  the  ten  fish  reaching  thirteen  pounds  each  fish.  The  largest 
fish  was  twenty-two  pounds  and  a  half,  the  next  seventeen 
and  a  half,  sixteen  and  a  half,  and  so  on,  down  to  about  seven 
pounds,  which  was  the  smallest.  The  rest  of  the  day  I  spent 
in  perch-fishing,  taking  about  two  dozen  and  a  half,  which 
ran  from  one  to  two  pounds  each  fish,  one  or  two  being  a  little 
above  two  pounds.  I  had  a  friend  with  me  who  also  caught 
a  large  number  of  fine  perch,  but  he  did  not  fish  for  pike  at  all. 
Now,  if  five  hooks  are  capable  of  such  a  day's  sport  as  this, 
what  need  is  there  for  using  double  the  number  ?  If  the  pike 
has  four  out  of  the  five  hooks  inside  his  mouth,  as  will  probably 
be  the  case,  it  is  ample  to  give  the  fisherman  a  very  good 
chance  of  hooking  him.  The  bait  does  not  spin  quite  so  rapidly 
with  this  tackle,  but  as  there  are  so  few  hooks  about  it,  there 
is  less  need  of  it  ;^,  and  few  will  deny  that,  if  it  spins  well 
enough  to  realise  such  a  take  as  I  have  described,  there  is  not 
much  to  find  fault  with. 

Soon^'after  I  brought  this  tackle  out,  Mr.  Cholmondeley 
Pennell  wrote  a  little  work  on  spinning  for  pike,  in  which  he 
described  a  tackle  which  he  had  invented,  and  an  excellent 
tackle  it  is  (see  Plate  IV,  Fig.  2,  p.  76).  Mr.  Pennell  states, 
with  respect  to  his  tackle,  that  flying  triangles,  or  triangles 
upon  separate  strands  of  gimp,  are  more  correct  in  principle 


VARIETIES  OF  SPINNING  TACKLE  83 

and  kill  more  fish  than  if  they  were  fastened  on  to  the  single 
strand  of  gimp  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  is 
right.  The  only  possible  objection  I  can  enter  to  it  is  the 
pluraHty  of  strands  of  gimp  he  uses  (or  perhaps  I  should  say 
did  use),  and  the  amount  of  lashing  which  must  be  rather 
conspicuous  on  the  fish's  side  ;  and  I  should  prefer  the  tail- 
hook,  too,  to  be  a  trifle  larger  than  in  his  original  tackle,  a 
sketch  of  which  may  be  seen  in  Plate  IV,  Fig.  2,  page  76.  I 
have  great  faith  in  a  big  hook  for  big  fish.  Subsequently  Mr. 
Pennell  improved  his  tackle,  enlarged  the  tail-hook,  did  away 
with  much  of  the  lashing,  and  adopted  the  shifting  triangle 
attached  to  the  hp-hook,  which  I  had  employed  on  my  tackle, 
instead  of  two  attached  by  single  strands  to  the  main  strand 
of  gimp — the  shifting  triangle  being  inserted  on  the  reverse 
side  ;  and  in  this  form  it  makes  the  best  tackle  that  had  so  far 
been  invented  (see  Plate  IV,  Fig.  3,  p.  76). 

Wishing,  if  possible,  still  further  to  improve  on  the  system 
of  flying  triangles,  I  hit  upon  the  idea  a  short  time  since  of 
employing  triangles  with  loops  or  eyes,  instead  of  tying  them 
on  to  strands  of  gimp,  and  having  a  single  hook  tied  to  the 
main  gimp  under  each  triangle  to  hook  the  fish  on,  leaving 
the  triangles  to  stand  out  free.  My  belief  is  that  in  most 
tackles  the  hooks  lie  too  closely  to  the  bait  to  take  a  favourable 
hold  of  the  fish,  and  often  hit  upon  the  hard  jaw-bone,  instead 
of  catching  the  more  fleshy  parts  of  the  mouth.  By  letting 
the  triangles  stand  farther  from  the  bait,  the  chance  of  hooking 
is  greatly  increased.  In  Plate  IV,  Fig.  4,  page  76,  the  tackle 
is  represented,  but  I  have  had  it  also  made  with  the  shifting 
triangle  for  the  reverse  side,  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  3,  and  it  answers 
exceedingly  well. 

There  is  an  immense  variety  of  other  spinning  tackles,  far 
more  than  can  be  noticed  here,  but  the  above  are  about  the 
best  of  them.  In  the  choice  of  hooks,  Mr.  Pennell  strongly 
recommends  the  sneck-bend  for  the  triangles,  as  being  far 
more  sure  in  hooking.  I  have  certainly  found  that  no  hooks 
do  so  well  or  hook  so  many  trout  in  fly-fishing,  where  the 
question  is  one  of  great  importance  ;  and  I  can  see  no  reason 
why  the  principle  which  certainly  suits  best  and  prevails  so 
very  extensively  in  trout  hooks  should  not  be  equally  applicable 
to  pike.  Mr.  Pennell  says  that,  after  a  series  of  experiments, 
he  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  advantage  which  the 
sneck-bend  has  over  the  other  hooks  is  something  like  100 
per  cent,,  and  such  being  the  case — as  it  cannot  matter  two 


84  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

straws  to  the  angler  which  pattern  he  selects — by  all  means 
sneck-bend  be  it. 

There  are  various  ingenious  inventions  for  the  purpose  of 
simplifying  the  art  of  putting  on  a  spinning  bait.  Some  of 
them  are  more  ingenious  than  useful.  The  principle  of  most 
of  them  is  to  have  a  piece  of  flat  brass,  about  the  length  of  the 
bait  to  be  used,  pointed  and  barbed  at  one  end.  This  is  thrust 
into  the  mouth  of  the  bait  and  down  beside  the  spine  until 
the  barbed  point  is  buried  in  the  root  of  the  tail ;  another  barb 
half-way  up  the  metal  helps  to  keep  the  bait  on  and  in  its  place. 
The  other  end  of  the  brass  has  fixed  on  it  a  pair  of  wings  or 
fans,  on  the  Archimedian  screw  principle ;  these  extend  on 
either  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  bait  and  communicate  to  it  the 
spinning  action.  Above  these  wings  is  an  eye  in  the  brass  from 
which  a  pair  of  triangles  on  one  side,  and  a  single  one  on  the 
other,  hang  and  form  the  arming  of  the  bait ;  one  of  the  hooks 
of  the  upper  triangle  on  one  side,  and  the  single  one  on  the 
other  being  hooked  into  the  bait,  serve  also  to  keep  it  to- 
gether. But  in  spite  of  all  this,  when  there  is  the  constant  strain 
caused  by  casting  and  drawing  against  stream,  the  barbs  will 
at  times  work  loose  and  allow  the  fans  to  come  up  and  away 
from  the  mouth,  so  that  a  short  interval  will  appear  between 
the  fan  and  the  head  of  the  bait,  which  is  very  undesirable. 
To  the  eye  is  fixed  a  swivel  to  which  the  trace  is  fastened  in 
the  usual  manner.  Some  of  these  artificial  spinners  are 
without  the  fans,  and  the  spin  is  given  to  the  bait  by  simply 
bending  the  tail,  brass  and  all,  the  brass  keeping  the  tail 
properly  crooked.  Some,  again,  have  the  fan  at  the  tail,  the 
tail  being  cut  off,  the  spear  thrust  in  at  the  tail  and  out  at  the 
mouth,  an  artificial  tail  being  thus  given  to  the  bait.  Most  of 
these  aids  to  spinning  are  leaded  so  that  the  weight  is  concealed 
in  the  body  of  the  bait ;  but  although  it  may  be  desirable  to 
hide  the  lead  and  to  show  as  little  tackle  as  possible  to  alarm 
the  fish,  I  have  always  found  that  the  thrusting  of  a  lead  into 
the  fish  soon  knocks  the  bait  to  pieces,  and  the  belly  and  thorax 
are  liable  to  cut  out  more  or  less  speedily.  Again,  in  these 
aids  to  spinning  many  of  them  require  the  baits  to  be  fitted 
with  some  exactness  to  the  apparatus  and  the  apparatus  to 
the  bait.  The  best  of  them  all,  perhaps,  is  the  Chapman 
spinner  (see  Plate  V,  Figs.  8  and  9,  p.  78).  But,  however 
good  they  may  be  in  one  sense,  there  are  many  objections  to 
them  ;  and  my  advice  to  the  young  spinner  is  to  learn  how  to 
put  a  bait  properly  on  an  ordinary  flight  of  tackle  devoid  of 


DEAD  AND  LIVE  BAITS  85 

aids  or  makeshifts  of  any  kind,  and  to  practise  until  he  becomes 
an  expert,  when  he  will  certainly  decline  to  be  bothered  with 
any  apparatus  of  the  sort. 

With  respect  to  baits,  pike  are  tolerably  indifferent,  and 
bleak,  dace,  gudgeon,  or  the  young  of  barbel  or  chub,  may 
be  used  for  spinning  baits  indiscriminately,  and  even  a  roach 
can,  as  I  have  pointed  out,  be  made  to  spin  well.  Bleak  and 
dace  of  course  are  the  most  showy,  and  being  for  that  reason 
more  quickly  seen,  are  therefore  perhaps  more  attractive.  But 
whatever  be  the  baits,  the  angler  should  always  take  a  good 
supply  of  them,  as  so  many  get  cut,  torn,  and  spoilt,  that  a 
couple  of  dozen  will  not  be  too  many,  and  sometimes  not 
enough,  for  each  rod  in  a  moderate  day's  sport.  If  the  angler 
is  not  certain  about  procuring  bait  on  the  water  he  is  going  to 
fish,  he  should  never  trust  to  chance  ;  always  make  sure  in 
this  respect,  and  thus  many  an  hour  often  vexatiously  lost 
will  be  saved,  and  many  an  indifferent  day  turned  into  a  good 
one.  Never  mind  what  your  companion  may  say  about  being 
able  to  catch  bait,  or  the  probability  that  Jack,  Bob,  or  Tom 
may  be  able  to  spare  you  some.  Catching  bait  is  always  a  very 
doubtful  occupation,  and  although  if  you  did  not  want  them 
you  might  be  able  to  pull  out  dace  and  gudgeon  by  the  score, 
yet  when  you  do  want  them  particularly,  they  seem  to  have  an 
instinctive  knowledge  of  the  fate  awaiting  them,  and  to  be 
resolved  to  defeat  your  object.  At  the  best,  valuable  time  is 
wasted  ;  while,  as  for  the  hypothesis  affecting  Jack,  Bob,  or 
Tom,  it  never  comes  true  when  you  most  want  it  to  do  so  ; 

less,  therefore,  you  are  quite  sure  of  a  good  supply  of  bait, 
ake  what  you  require. 

If  you  are  going  to  live-bait,  a  large  can  will  be  requisite  to 
convey  the  fish  ahve  to  the  river  (see  Plate  I,  Fig.  6,  p.  9,  for 
illustration  of  a  live-bait  can),  and  if  it  be  a  long  journey  and 
warm  weather,  there  will  be  much  difficulty  in  keeping  them 
alive.*  A  small  pair  of  bellows  will  greatly  aid  this,  for  by 
putting  the  nozzle  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  and  blowing 
it  two  or  three  times,  the  water  is  aerated  afresh,  to  the  great 
reviving  of  the  fish.  If,  however,  spinning  be  the  object,  you 
may  much  simplify  matters  by  getting  a  supply  of  dead  baits. 
These  may  be  preserved  in  various  ways,  by  being  either  salted 

*  In  cold  winter  weather  baits  will  travel  by  rail  a  long  distance  without 
requiring  much  attention.  Mr.  Wright,  the  tackle  maker  in  the  Strand, 
brought  out  a  useful  little  apparatus  lately,  in  the  shape  of  a  compressible 
india-rubber  ball  and  a  gutta-percha  tube,  for  aerating  the  water  in  a  bait-caij. 
— F.  F, 


i€ 


86  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

or,  if  the  weather  be  cool,  simply  put  into  a  box  of  bran  if  they 
are  not  required  to  be  kept  too  long,  or  by  painting  them  over 
with  glycerine,  or  by  putting  a  number  into  a  widish-mounted 
bottle  full  of  spirits  of  some  kind.*  The  last-named  method 
keeps  the  baits  well,  and  their  colour  is  as  brilliant  as  in  their 
natural  condition,  while  they  are  rendered  so  tough  that  they 
will  stand  much  more  wear  and  tear.  Take  out  of  the  bottle 
as  many  as  may  be  required  for  the  day,  and  if  they  are  not 
used  they  can  be  returned  to  the  bottle  again.  The  angler 
should  keep  up  his  stock  by  adding  fresh  baits  occasionally. 

We  will  now  suppose  that  the  weighty  matters  of  choosing 
a  tackle,  fixing  and  baiting  it,  are  concluded.  Let  the  angler, 
if  standing  on  the  bank  of  a  river  or  pond,  see  that  the  ground 
at  his  feet  is  clear  of  fragments  of  stick,  etc.,  which  may  en- 
tangle in  his  line  and  spoil  his  cast ;  then  let  him  draw  off  as 
much  line  as  he  requires  from  the  reel,  and  let  it  lie  in  loose 
coils  at  his  feet.  Of  course  I  am  supposing  here  that  he  is  about 
to  fish  in  the  Thames  style,  which  is  that  most  generally 
adopted,  and  is  certainly  the  best  and  most  attractive. 
Only  on  very  foul  ground  is  the  Nottingham  style  of 
spinning  at  all  preferable,  and  even  here  Thames  fishers  of 
experience  will  often  greatly  counteract  this  advantage  by 
the  knack  which  they  have  of  gathering  up  the  line  in  the  palm 
of  the  hand  by  an  up  and  down  motion,  something  like  that 
of  a  weaver  with  a  shuttle. 

Supposing,  then,  the  line  to  be  ready  :  it  will  be  best  to 
commence  with  a  short  hne  for  practice,  say  ten  or  fifteen 
yards ;  this  can  be  increased  progressively,  by  pulling  some 
two  or  three  yards  extra  off  the  reel  between  each  cast,  and 
just  after  the  angler  has  made  his  cast,  when  all  the  line  is  out. 
Holding  the  rod  above  the  reel  firmly  in  his  right  hand,  with 
which  he  clasps  the  line  to  the  rod,  and  with  his  left  handt 
taking  hold  below  the  reel — the  point  of  the  rod  being  elevated 
in  the  air  at  an  angle  of  about  forty  degrees,  and  the  bait  hang- 
ing downwards  some  five  or  six  feet  from  the  rod-point — let 
him  wave  the  bait  gently  backwards,  either  to  the  right  or 

*  Salting  and  other  methods  of  preserving  baits  have  been  completely 
superseded  by  bottling  them  in  a  solution  of  formalin. — Ed. 

t  Some  anglers  hold  the  rod  only  with  the  right  hand,  the  hip  forming  a 
rest  and  a  pivot,  the  line  being  held  in  the  left ;  this  is  awkward  and  lacks 
the  capability  of  precision,  which  is  desirable  whether  in  casting,  working, 
or  striking.  It  also  gives  the  right  arm  too  much  to  do,  and  in  a  long  day's 
spinning  with  a  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  rod  this  will  be  found  a  consideration. 
— F.  F. 


I 


CASTING  THE  SPINNING  BAIT  87 

across  his  body  to  the  left,  so  as  to  get  the  swing ;  and  when 
the  bait  has  reached  the  full  extent  of  the  swing  let  him  sweep 
his  rod  forward  rapidly,  feeling  the  weight  of  the  bait  and 
lifting  it  slightly  as  he  delivers  it,  opening  or  loosening  his 
right  hand,  when  he  has  reached  about  two-thirds  length  of 
the  sweep,  so  as  to  release  the  line  just  as  he  gives  the  lift 
spoken  of,  and  directing  at  the  same  time  the  point  of  the  rod 
towards  the  spot  he  desires  to  reach — the  line  will  thus  run 
freely  through  the  rings,  the  bait  will  fly  through  the  air,  and 
if  the  strength  and  the  lift  be  properly  given,  and  the  rod 
pointed  aright,  his  bait  will  hardly  fail  to  reach  the  point 
aimed  at.  To  do  this  well  and  effectively  will  require  some 
little  practice.  The  bait  should  not  be  lifted  too  high  or  it  will 
make  too  much  splash  when  it  falls  ;  but  practice  alone  will 
enable  the  angler  to  judge  of  this.  When  the  bait  falls  in  the 
water,  he  must  allow  it  to  sink  to  the  depth  he  requires,  and 
then  he  must  bring  the  rod  down  parallel  with  the  surface, 
resting  the  butt  against  his  right  hip  or  thigh.  If  the  water  is 
deep,  and  the  angler  desires  to  fish  deep,  he  may  let  the  point 
of  the  rod  almost  touch  the  surface  of  the  water.  Then, 
gripping  the  line  again  to  the  rod  with  his  right  hand,  he  must 
commence  drawing  it  in  with  his  left,  loosing  the  grip  of  the 
right  hand  at  every  draw,  and  lifting  the  rod-point  and  working 
the  bait  in  shoots,  as  it  were,  after  each  draw.  Thus,  he  must 
keep  on  drawing  the  line  in,  letting  it  fall  in  free  coils  at  his 
feet  as  before,  until  he  has  brought  all  the  line  once  more 
to  the  shore.  If  these  directions  be  properly  carried  out,  the 
bait  win  come  traversing  the  water  about  mid-water,  spinning 
and  shooting  in  a  way  very  attractive  to  the  pike.  By  raising 
the  point  of  the  rod  he  may,  of  course,  work  the  bait  nearer 
to  the  surface  if  required. 

The  length  of  cast  which  an  angler  will  find  it  convenient 
to  make  is  that  which  he  can  not  only  cast  but  fish  best. 
Some  anglers  can  cast  from  thirty-five  to  forty-five  yards  ; 
but  for  fishing  purposes  twenty  to  thirty  yards  is  long  enough, 
imless  a  special  case  occurs  to  require  more.  The  question 
of  how  much  can  be  cast  is  doubtful.  I  am  sure  that  I  have 
seen  fully  fifty  yards  if  not  more  cast  with  a  heavy  live  bait 
and  float.  I  can  manage  forty-five  yards  with  an  ordinary 
tackle,  and  bait  weighing  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  one  and  a 
half  ounces.  Long  casts  are  often  useful  when  it  is  required 
to  get  a  live  bait  well  out  in  a  lake  or  pond. 

With  respect  to  the  pace  at  which  it  is  desirable  to  spin,  as 


88  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

I  have  before  said,  I  prefer  slow  spinning,  as  it  gives  the  fish 
more  time  to  see  the  bait ;  but  it  must  not  be  so  slow  as  to 
spoil  the  spinning.  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  give  the  reader 
a  better  idea  of  how  to  regulate  this  than  to  quote  Mr.  Pennell's 
words  on  the  subject.  He  says  :  "  The  draws  or  pulls  and  the 
corresponding  movements  of  the  rod  must  of  course  be  varied 
in  length  and  rapidity  according  to  the  depth  of  the  water, 
size  of  bait,  and  other  circumstances  ;  but  a  good  medium 
speed,  when  the  left  hand  is  carried  well  back,  is  about  forty 
draws  per  minute."  This,  as  Mr.  Pennell  says,  is  a  medium 
pace. 

To  fish  a  stream  properly,  that  method  is  the  best  which 
enables  you  to  cover  the  most  water  with  the  greatest  ease 
and  the  shortest  time,  and  the  best  way  is  to  cast  across  and 
rather  down-stream,  and  to  repeat  it  three  or  four  yards 
farther  down  and  nearer  to  you  until  you  have  fished  all  the 
water  you  can  cover — when  move  on.  Always  fish  your  cast 
out  and  do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  withdraw  the  bait,  as  pike  often 
follow  it  and  take  it  close  to  the  boat  or  the  bank.  Greville  F. 
tells  a  story  in  the  Field  of  one  following  the  bait  with  such 
good  will  that,  missing  it,  he  ran  his  head  against  a  post  and 
stunned  himself,  and  was  thus  lifted  out  in  the  landing-net 
without  more  ado.  Some  anglers  prefer  to  cast  up-stream 
where  there  is  not  much  current,  and  draw  down,  under  the 
impression  that  the  fish  has  thus  a  better  chance  of  seeing  the 
bait ;  but  straight  casts  up  or  down  should  be  avoided  as  much 
as  possible,  as  the  fish  sees  too  much  of  the  line. 

If  the  angler  feels  a  check  or  stoppage  of  the  line  while  he 
is  drawing  it  home,  he  has  to  decide  whether  it  is  a  fish  or  a  weed 
or  other  obstruction.  Usually  if  it  be  a  fish  he  will  feel  the 
tug  ;  or,  if  he  drops  the  point  of  the  rod,  the  line  will  move 
off ;  but  if  he  feels  nothing  of  this,  let  him  tighten  the  line  by 
raising  the  point  slightly,  when  he  will  be  able  to  decide  the 
question  at  once.  If  he  has  reason  to  believe  that  the  check 
proceeds  from  a  fish,  he  must  strike  directly  and  straight  back 
and  firmly,  holding  his  fish  rather  tightly  for  the  first  few 
seconds,  so  as  to  embed  the  hooks  in  the  pike's  hard  mouth 
before  letting  him  work  his  wicked  will ;  he  can  then  ease  him 
a  little  and  play  him  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  Some  anglers, 
when  they  feel  a  run,  give  the  fish  a  few  seconds.  This  is 
quite  optional ;  but  it  is  not  necessary,  as  a  pike  seldom 
misses  his  grip  if  he  means  to  take  the  bait,  and  as  he  holds  it 
crosswise  in  his  jaws,  he  has  as  much  of  the  bait  in  his  mouth 


I 


ON  STRIKING  89 

the  instant  he  is  felt  as  he  will  have  until  he  pouches.  The 
angler  should  never  strike  upwards  over  his  own  head  if  he 
can  avoid  it,  but  sideways  and  downwards — parallel  with  the 
water  as  it  were — and  for  this  reason  :  if  he  strikes  up,  the 
hooks  come  into  contact  with  the  hard  horny  roof  of  the 
pike's  mouth,  and  this  is  one  mass  of  teeth,  into  which  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  drive  a  hook  deeply  ;  whereas,  if  he  strikes 
sideways,  he  has  a  better  chance  of  getting  hold  of  the  softer 
and  more  fleshy  lower  jaw. 

Mr.  Pennell  recommends  striking  twice,  so  as  to  be  sure  of 
driving  the  hooks  in.  It  is,  however,  quite  possible  to  lose  a 
fish  by  striking  twice — the  first  strike  sending  the  hook  in, 
and  the  second  striking  it  out  again.  But  there  is  this  much 
to  be  said  in  that  case,  viz.  that  the  hold  must  be  rather  a 
slight  one,  and  that  there  would  be  every  possibility  of  the 
fish  breaking  from  it  whether  or  no  ;  whereas  if  the  points 
only  without  the  barbs  are  buried  in  the  pike's  jaw  the  second 
strike  will  certainly  make  assurance  doubly  sure  by  sending 
the  barbs  home.  Therefore  I  leave  the  angler  to  adopt  which- 
ever course  he  pleases.  I  never  strike  twice  ;  but  then  I  am 
bound  to  say  that  sometimes  when  using  a  tackle  with  many 
triangles  I  certainly  do  lose  a  good  many  fish,  and  the  more 
triangles  the  angler  employs  the  harder  he  must  strike  to  be 
on  the  safe  side. 

If  a  pike  runs  deep  when  struck,  hold  a  firm  hand  upon 
him,  so  as  to  keep  his  head  up  out  of  the  weeds  ;  and  always, 
if  possible,  particularly  if  he  is  a  big  one,  keep  the  point  of  the 
rod  behind  him  so  as  to  pull  the  hooks  into  his  mouth  instead 
of  out  of  it.  If  the  fish  be  straight  down-stream  below  you, 
rather  drop  to  him  than  pull  against  him,  for  if  when  you  are 
so  pulling  he  happens  to  open  his  mouth  and  give  his  head  a 
shake  or  two,  it  is  a  hundred  to  one  that  he  shakes  himself 
free,  unless  your  hold  is  very  good  indeed.  If  a  pike  comes  to 
the  top  of  the  water,  standing  on  his  tail  as  it  were  (as  if  you 
were  weighing  him),  and  with  open  mouth  "  grins  ghastly  " 
at  you,  shaking  his  head  to  and  fro  savagely,  you  are  in  no 
little  danger  of  losing  him.  I  have  lost  scores  in  this  way. 
The  only  thing  to  do  is  to  drop  the  point  of  the  rod  and  let 
him  have  nothing  to  struggle  against,  when  he  will  speedily 
recover  his  horizontal ;  for  if  you  hang  on  to  him,  you  are 
unusually  lucky  if  you  kill  him.  Get  the  point  of  the  rod  down 
to  the  surface  of  the  water  if  he  shows  symptoms  of  coming 
to  the  top,  so  that  the  weight  of  line  may  aid  in  deterring  him. 


90  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

If  you  lose  a  fish  after  playing  him  for  a  turn  or  two,  let  not 
a  moment  pass  before  throwing  again  to  the  spot  where  you 
lost  him,  and  he  will  possibly  take  the  bait  again  ;  for  pikey 
is  very  hkely  looking  all  round  him  in  desperation  at  losing 
his  prey  ,and  does  not  feel  his  scratches  more  than  a  wounded 
tiger  or  shark  does,  while  his  rage  is  kindled  against  the  in- 
significant being  which  has  scratched  him  and  then  run  away. 
Of  course,  however,  if  you  give  him  time  to  cool  and  reflect 
your  chance  is  small  of  seeing  him  again. 

Sometimes  a  pike  will  jump  out  of  water  like  a  salmon, 
when  hooked.  Always  drop  the  point  and  slacken  line  to  him 
when  he  does  so,  until  he  is  well  in  his  native  element  again, 
when  you  can  resume  your  command  of  him.  It  is  not  a 
common  trick,  but  I  have  seen  it  happen  two  or  three  times. 

A  pike  is  never  safe  with  spinning  tackle  until  he  is  in  the 
landing-net.*  Get  him  there  as  speedily  as  possible.  He  is 
always  in  danger  of  getting  off  just  as  you  are  about  to  land 
him,  because  if  you  use  a  landing-net  you  have  to  bring  him 
near  the  surface. f  Never  let  your  man  make  a  dash  at  the 
fish,  or  he  may  chance  to  catch  your  hooks  in  the  net  and  lose 
your  fish — which  is  by  no  means  the  object  you  have  in  view. 
Let  him  sink  the  net  well,  and  as  you  bring  the  fish  round  sweep 
him  into  it  tail  first.  If  he  goes  in  head  first  your  hooks  catch 
the  net,  the  fish  sometimes  gives  a  spring,  and  you  have  to 
sit  down  and  mend  your  tackle — at  least  occasionally  you 
have  to  do  so.  J 

Having  landed  your  pike,  the  next  thing  is  to  unhook  him  ; 
and  ware  fingers  here,  for  he  has  woundy  sharp  teeth.  A 
disgorger  (see  Plate  VI,  Fig.  7,  p.  93),  as  it  is  termed,  will  be 
found  a  useful  aid.  It  is  a  piece  of  metal  or  bone  with  a  notch 
in  the  end,  and  by  pushing  it  against  any  hook  that  is  fast  it 

*  And  even  when  in  the  net  I  have  known  them  jump  out.  I  was  once 
fishing  at  Hampton  Court  with  my  old  acquaintance  Mr.  Frank  Matthews, 
the  well-known  comedian.  He  hooked  a  fish  of  about  seven  pounds  ;  Wisdom, 
our  fisherman,  attempted  to  land  it  while  it  was  some  distance  off,  and  as 
he  held  the  net  extended  it  jumped  out  again  into  the  water  and  escaped  ; 
ten  minutes  afterwards  I  caught  the  same  fish  again.  I  have,  too,  known  a 
fish  go  through  the  bottom  of  an  old  net,  and  playing  a  heavy  fish  in  this 
predicament  offers  both  variety,  novelty,  and  excitement. — F.  F. 

t  The  gaff  is  a  most  useful  auxiliary  here,  for  big  fish  particularly.- — F.  F. 

X  I  lost  a  ten-pound  fish  in  this  way  in  the  Kennet  some  time  since  :  I 
was  perch-fishing  and  the  net  was  much  too  small  for  him.  I  had  no  assistant. 
The  bank  was  too  rotten  to  finger  him  ;  a  dozen  times  I  got  his  tail  in  the  net, 
but  he  always  contrived  to  slip  out  at  the  critical  moment.  At  last  I  slipped 
it  over  his  head,  determining  to  fetch  him  out  with  a  swing,  but  at  the  instant 
of  reaching  the  bank  he  jumped  out  again  and  into  the  water,  leaving  the 
paternoster  hooks  fast  in  the  net. — F.  F. 


GORGE-BAITING  gi 

may  be  unhooked.  To  keep  the  fish's  mouth  safely  open  during 
the  operation  is  not  an  easy  task.  Mr.  Rolfe,  fish  artist, 
invented  a  machine  for  this  purpose  hke  to  a  pair  of  scissors 
with  a  rack.  By  opening  these  in  the  fish's  mouth  and  setting 
the  rack,  the  angler  can  poke  out  the  hooks  at  leisure.  When 
he  is  quite  free,  knock  him  on  the  head  with  a  short  bludgeon 
hke  a  ship's  trenail  or  a  boat's  rowlock,  and  put  him  in  the 
creel.  i «  > 

There  are  many  other  ways  of  taking  pike  besides  spinning. 
Trolling  with  a  dead  gorge  bait  comes  next,  but  it  is  not  so 
much  practised  now  as  formerly,  as  there  is  Uttle  which  can 
be  done  with  it  which  cannot  be  done  better  with  the  spinning 
bait.  The  only  advantage  it  presents  is  that  you  can  fish 
amongst  weeds  which  could  not  be  fished  with  a  spinning  bait. 
In  Plate  V,  Figs.  5  and  6,  page  78,  will  be  found  representa- 
tions of  a  gorge  hook  baited  and  unbaited.  The  dead  gorge 
hook  consists  of  two  hooks  fastened  back  to  back  ;  the  shanks 
are  then  heavily  laded,  and  are  strengthened  ad  lib.  by  means 
of  a  piece  of  stoutish  twisted  brass  wire,  made  of  various  lengths 
to  suit  various  baits.  The  process  of  baiting  is  as  follows  : 
Choose  a  bait — a  dace  or  gudgeon  is  the  best — cut  off  the 
tail,  and  then  shp  the  loop  of  the  tackle  into  the  eye  of  the 
baiting  needle  (see  Plate  VI,  Fig.  8,  p.  93).*  Put  the  needle 
in  at  the  mouth  of  the  bait,  push  it  through  the  centre  of  the 
fish  and  out  at  the  tail,  and  draw  the  lead  down  into  the  gullet 
and  stomach  of  the  fish  until  the  hooks  are  arrested  at  the 
mouth  and  he  upon  each  side  of  it.  Tie  the  tail  tightly  to 
the  gimp  with  thread,  hook  the  eye  of  the  gimp  on  to  the  line 
by  a  swivel,  and  all  is  ready  for  action.  It  is  worked  thus  : 
Cast  it  into  a  hole,  and  let  it  sink ;  then  hft  the  point  of  the 
rod  and  lower  it  constantly  as  the  bait  is  drawn  home  :  this 
causes  it  to  shoot  along  through  the  water  more  like  a  five 
fish  than  even  a  spinning  bait  does.  When  a  pike  seizes  it, 
or  a  check  is  felt,  fine  is  given  out  and  the  fish  carries  it  where 
he  pleases.  As  soon  as  he  remains  quiet  he  may  be  considered 
to  have  commenced  pouching — that  is,  gorging  or  swallowing 
the  fish.  The  angler  does  not  lay  down  his  rod,  take  out  his 
watch,  and  wait  five  or  even  ten  minutes  to  steady  his  excited 

*  I  invented  some  years  since  a  little  leathern  machine  for  carrying 
baiting  needles  and  disgorgers  ;  as  these  implements  are  so  easily  mislaid 
and  difficult  to  find,  that  they  are  always  missing  when  wanted.  It  was 
simply  buttoned  on  to  one  of  the  breast-buttons  of  the  angler's  coat,  and 
was  thus  always  at  hand.  Mr.  Bernard,  of  Piccadilly,  took  up  the  idea  and 
made  several. — F.  F. 


92  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

nerves,  as  recommended  by  old  authors — if  he  does,  he  de- 
serves to  get  into  difficulties — but  he  waits  until  he  thinks  the 
fish  has  gorged  the  bait,  keeping  the  line  all  clear  for  a  run 
in  case  the  fish  moves.  In  about  five  minutes,  if  he  does  not 
move,  he  will  have  pouched  or  gorged,  when  the  angler  can 
gather  in  all  the  loose  line  and  give  him  a  persuasive  tug. 
As  he  will  probably  be  tugging  at  the  poor  wretch's  vitals  he 
need  not  pull  very  hard.  If  the  fish  moves  soon,  the  angler 
must  use  his  own  discretion  as  to  whether  it  may  be  worth 
while  waiting  to  see  if  he  will  seek  another  hold  or  whether 
he  has  bolted  the  bait  at  short  notice.  Savants — telegraph 
clerks  probably — pretend  that  they  can  tell  by  certain  tremb- 
lings of  the  line  whether  a  fish  has  pouched  or  not ;  I  am  not  so 
well  up  in  piscatorial  electricity  as  to  be  able  to  do  so.  As  a 
general  rule,  a  pike  moves  as  soon  as  he  has  pouched  ;  when 
he  does,  stick  the  hooks  into  him  at  once.  If  by  chance  he 
does  not,  but  appears  desirous  of  making  a  time  bargain  of  it, 
the  angler  must,  as  I  have  said,  use  his  own  discretion  as  to 
the  time  when  he  shall  think  it  desirable  to  foreclose  the 
mortgage  which  Mr.  Pike  has  taken  of  him.  If  the  fish  be  a 
large  one,  perhaps  half  the  above  time,  or  three  minutes,  will 
be  enough  for  him  ;  if  a  small  one,  the  shorter  time  the  better, 
because  he  may  get  off  without  being  killed,  which  the  gorge 
bait  necessitates  to  every  fish  indiscriminately.  As  I  have 
said,  it  is  not  a  nice  way  of  fishing ;  the  fish  is  very  apt  to 
reject  the  bait  on  feeUng  the  lead  within  it,  or  from  not  being 
very  hungry,  and  the  waiting  is  tedious,  and  the  whole  affair 
is  so  unsatisfactory  and  savage  that  let  those  follow  it  who 
list,  for  111  none  of  it.  Nobbes,  who  is  called  "  the  father  of 
trolling,"  gives  very  special  and  particular  directions  with 
respect  to  it.  To  those  who  desire  to  know  more  of  it,  I  say, 
read  Nobbes. 

Live  baiting  is  the  next  method  for  discussion,  and  the  only 
way  in  which  this  should  be  pursued  is  by  means  of  the  live 
snap.  Gorge  baits  of  all  kinds,  which  were  invented  by  the 
father  of  cruelty,  should  not  be  permitted  on  any  excuse  where 
pike  are  preserved,  because  no  matter  what  the  size  of  the  fish 
may  be,  they  kill  him.  The  five  snap  is  usually  composed  of  a 
triangle,  of  which  one  hook  is  small  and  two  are  large.  The 
small  one  is  whipped  on  high  up  at  the  top  of  the  shanks  of  the 
two  larger  ones,  and  it  is  on  this  small  one  the  fish  is  fixed  by 
the  back  fin,  the  two  large  ones  hanging  down  the  side.  A 
better  plan  by  far  is  to  use  a  largish  triangle,  a  single  hook 


PLATE  VI. 


-«^  ■  '.\ 


To  face  Page  93. 


Live-bait  Tackles,  Etc. 


^ 


LIVE-BAITING  93 

being  whipped  on  the  gimp  a  little  above  it,  the  triangle 
hanging  down  loose  by  the  fish's  side  (see  Plate  VI,  Figs.  11 
and  12,  p.  93).  As  soon  as  the  angler  perceives  a  bite,  giving 
the  fish  half  a  minute  or  a  minute  to  get  the  hooks  well  into  his 
mouth,  but  not  time  enough  to  pouch,  he  strikes.  A  float  is 
used  with  this  tackle.  Some  anglers  like  a  large  pear-shaped 
one  (as  shown  in  Plate  II,  Fig.  7,  p.  49) — I  do  not,  as  it  is  apt 
to  catch  in  any  obstruction,  and  so  lose  you  your  fish — a  large 
carrot-shaped  or  cucumber-shaped  one  is  better.  A  single  hook 
thrust  through  the  nose  of  the  bait  is  often  used  ;  but  unless 
the  bait  be  of  small  size,  as  in  paternostering,  this  is  rather  a 
gorge  bait,  and  time  must  be  given  for  the  fish  to  pouch  to  be 
sure  of  getting  the  hook  in  his  mouth.  Others  use  a  double 
hook,  or  two  hooks  set  back  to  back  and  tied  on  gimp.  A 
baiting  needle  is  then  hooked  on  to  the  loop  of  the  gimp  and  the 
point  is  introduced  under  the  skin  just  behind  the  pectoral 
fins  of  the  bait,  and  the  needle  is  run  along  towards  the  tail  and 
brought  out  above  the  vent,  or  a  Uttle  nearer  to  the  tail,  and  the 
gimp  is  drawn  through,  so  that  part  of  the  gimp  and  the 
shanks  of  the  hooks  are  hidden  under  the  skin  (see  Plate  VI, 
Figs.  9  and  10,  p.  93).  This  plan  is  only  adopted  when  very 
long  throws  requiring  a  good  deal  of  force  are  required,  as,  if 
any  other  mode  of  baiting  is  practised,  the  bait  is  apt  to  be 
thrown  off  the  hook  by  the  force  employed.  It  is  a  very  cruel 
plan,  however.  When  such  plans  as  there  are  adopted,  as  is 
often  the  case  by  pot-hunting  anglers  with  two  or  three  or  more 
rods,  I  would  ask  what  difference  there  is  between  them  and 
trimmer-fishing.*  One  can  scarcely  be  held  to  savour  more  of 
poaching  than  the  other. 

A  very  killing  plan,  also  much  adopted,  more  particularly 
by  the  Thames  anglers,  is  to  use  a  paternoster  with  a  couple  of 
gimp  hooks,  and  a  bait  on  each.  By  this  means  every  inch  of 
water  can  be  thoroughly  searched,  but  as,  when  the  pike  runs, 
the  lead  or  the  spear  hook  and  bait  is  apt  at  times  to  catch  in  a 
stone  or  weed,  the  fish  have  a  fairer  chance  of  getting  off  than 
with  the  float.  Small  baits  and  short  law  must,  of  course,  be 
the  order  of  the  day.  Some  people  set  their  faces  altogether 
against  the  use  of  a  live  bait ;  but  when  the  snap  style  is  used, 
with  a  single  bait,  I  do  not  think  it  is  so  objectionable,  as  I  am 
sure  that  if  the  fish  are  in  the  humour  far  more  fish  are  actually 

♦  In  fact,  the  above  is  trimmer-fishing  in  disguise,  the  rod  being  a  sort  of 
neutral  introduced  to  conceal  enemies'  goods,  which  are  certainly  contraband 
of  fishing  thus  employed. — F.  F. 


94  A  BOOK^N  ANGLING 

hooked  in  spinning  than  by  any  other  means.  I  have  often 
seen  one  angler  spinning,  and  another  hve  baiting,  and  I  have 
seen  the  spinner  take  at  the  rate  of  five  fish  for  the  Hve  baiter's 
one.  Where,  then,  is  the  objection  ?  It  certainly  is  not  a 
pretty  way  of  fishing,  and  I  dislike  it  because  it  is  not  so 
pleasant  or  lively  a  way  as  spinning  ;  and  it  never  can  or  will 
be  so  popular.  The  truth  is  that  sometimes  the  fish  prefer  a 
live  bait  to  a  spinning  bait,  but  more  often  the  case  is  reversed  ; 
and  if  spinning  is  (as  I  know  it  to  be)  more  deadly  in  respect  to 
numbers  than  live  baiting,  upon  what  ground  is  it  objected  to  ? 
I  rarely  use  the  live  bait,  and  certainly  do  not  advocate  it  from 
any  preference.  But  "  live  and  let  live."  I  do  not  wish  to 
interfere  with  those  who  do,  being  well  assured  that  I  am  more 
likely  to  spoil  their  sport  than  they  are  mine.  Another  reason 
why  some  persons  prefer  live  baiting,  is  that  a  larger  bait  can 
be  used,  and  there  is  far  less  likelihood  of  losing  a  large  fish 
when  once  hooked,  in  Hve  baiting,  than  spinning  ;  and  there  is 
some  reason  for  this  belief. 

There  are  various  other  baits  used  for  pike-fishing,  when 
fish  are  scarce  ;  but  it  is  needless  to  say  that  none  of  them  are 
equal  to  fish  in  point  of  attractiveness.  Perhaps  a  good  yellow 
lively  frog  ranks  next  in  the  estimation  of  the  pike.  The  way 
to  bait  a  frog  is  to  use  one  large  long-shanked  hook,  pass  it 
through  the  under  lip  and  draw  the  hook  down  under  the  belly 
until  the  bend  lies  beside  the  thigh  of  the  hind  leg,  to  which  it 
should  be  tied  with  a  lap  or  two  of  silk  :  then  work  him  after 
the  fashion  of  a  live  bait.  Mice,  water-rats,  and  dead  birds, 
will  be  taken  at  times,  and  an  artificial  rat  may  be  made  from 
a  slice  of  the  skin  of  a  cow's  tail,  which  is  said  to  answer  the 
purpose  well ;  as  I  never  used  it,  however,  I  cannot  speak  to 
its  efficacy  ;  but  if  an  artificial  bait  be  used,  a  good  large  spoon 
bait  is  perhaps  as  attractive  as  any.  Mr.  Pennell  recommends 
a  supplementary  triangle  to  be  added  to  the  side  of  a  spoon,  as 
fish  often  run  and  miss  the  end  hooks,  and  it  is  a  good  plan. 
Spoon  baits  are  certainly  excellent  lures  ;  they  may  be  had  of 
all  sorts,  sizes,  fashions,  and  colours  at  the  tackle  makers',  and 
as  people  have  so  many  whims  on  this  point,  I  leave  the  angler 
to  choose  for  himself.  Sir  S.  Baker,  the  great  African  traveller 
and  Nile  explorer,  formerly  a  correspondent  of  the  Field,  once 
called  my  attention  to  a  bait  he  had  used  with  great  success  in 
Turkey.  It  was  made  out  of  a  daguerreotype  of  an  old  lady  ; 
and  the  "  old  lady,"  as  he  called  it,  beat  the  spoon  hollow.  He 
took  the  plate  (which  was  silvered  on  one  face  and  coppered  on 


I 


VARIOUS  BAITS  FOR  PIKE  95 

the  reverse),  cut  a  rude  resemblance  of  a  fish  out  of  it,  turned 
the  lobes  of  the  tail  reverse  ways  to  make  the  bait  spin,  armed  it 
well,  and  it  succeeded  admirably,  never  giving  the  spoon  a 
chance.  The  otter  (previously  referred  to  in  perch-fishing)  is 
also  a  useful  lure  at  times.  And  Mr.  Hearder's  plano-convex 
bait  is  an  excellent  one  for  general  spinning  either  in  fresh  or 
salt  water,  and  any  fish  which  will  take  a  spinning  bait  may  be 
taken  by  the  plano-convex.  It  is  made  of  various  sizes  to  suit 
the  sort  of  fish  angled  for,  and  is  contrived  upon  much  the 
same  principle  as  the  other  just  alluded  to.  As  regards  the 
imitations  of  fish  used  for  artificial  baits,  they  are  so  numerous 
that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  catalogue  them  ;  made  of  every 
metal,  from  tin  to  silver,  and  of  all  sorts  of  substances,  from 
bone  or  horn  and  glass  to  indiarubber  and  leather,  the  angler 
must  be  difficult  to  please  if  he  cannot  select  one  to  suit  him 
from  the  stock  usually  displayed  in  our  fishing-tackle  shops. 
Perhaps  as  easily  made  and  as  effective  a  bait  as  any,  is  formed 
in  the  following  way :  Take  a  thin  bar  or  strip  of  lead,  of 
suitable  length  and  expanded  at  the  latter  end  into  a  tail,  lash  a 
wire  eye  on  to  the  upper  end  ;  wrap  this  over  and  over,  round 
and  round,  with  worsted  or  wool,  moulded  so  as  to  shape  a 
body  ;  then  get  two  strips  of  kid  glove,  one  olive  for  the  back 
of  the  bait,  and  one  white  for  the  belly — these  must  be  stretched 
tightly  on  the  wool  body  and  sewn  on  to  it  il  the  leather 
should  be  well  varnished,  and  the  tail  twisted  as  usual.  I 
recommend  this  bait  to  the  notice  of  economic  anglers.  If 
they  like  to  put  a  strip  of  silver  leaf  along  either  side,  under 
the  varnish,  and  define  a  head  and  eyes,  they  may  render  it  a 
Httle  more  attractive  ;  but  it  will  be  found  quite  kilHng  enough 
without  it — indeed,  I  doubt  if  any  better  artificial  bait  than 
this  is  made.  It  will  stand  a  good  deal  of  wear  and  tear,  and  has 
the  advantage  of  being  soft  to  the  fish's  teeth.  In  an  artificial 
bait  I  certainly  prefer  a  soft  one  to  a  hard  one  ;  when  it  is  soft 
a  pike  will  hold  it  in  his  mouth  as  long  as  he  will  a  natural 
bait ;  when  it  is  hard,  of  course  he  speedily  rejects  it.* 

Pike  are  also  taken  in  some  waters  with  an  artificial  fly, 
and  it  is  not  a  very  uncommon  thing  for  the  angler  to  hook 
one  on  his  salmon  fly,  nor  to  lose  fly  and  all  in  consequence. 
The  kind  of  fly  most  commonly  employed  is  one  of  large  size, 
with  a  pair  of  big  outspreading  hooks,  the  body  being  com- 
posed of  divers  coloured  pig's  wool,  blue,  yellow,  and  green,  is 

*  The  phantom  minnow  had  not  been  invented  when  Francis  wrote,  else 
he  would  have  assuredly  recommended  it. — Ed. 


96  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

as  thick  as  a  man's  little  finger  ;  it  has  a  large  heron's  or  other 
hackle  for  legs  ;  for  the  wings,  two  eyes  from  a  peacock's  tail, 
with  a  few  showy  hackles  ;  wide  gold  or  silver  foil ;  a  tail  of 
various  coloured  hackles  ;  and  at  the  head,  two  glass  beads  are 
strung  on  to  represent  eyes.  This  apparatus,  which  is  more 
Hke  a  good-sized  hummingbird  than  anything  else,  is  cast  and 
worked  like  a  salmon  fly,  and  when  pike  are  inclined  to  take  it, 
it  is  the  most  sporting  and  agreeable  way  of  fishing  for  them. 
In  shallow  pools,  where  there  is  very  little  water  above  the 
weeds  it  will  be  found  the  most  serviceable.  There  are  many 
such  places  which  are  full  of  jack,  and  which  it  would  be  found 
very  difiicult  perhaps  to  fish  in  any  other  way.  But  it  need 
not  be  used  exclusively  in  such  spots,  as  it  kills  well  at  times 
even  in  deep  water  if  the  fish  are  on  the  feed. 

In  some  places,  particularly  in  the  Hampshire  Avon,  a 
rather  primitive  way  of  trolling  is  still  indulged  in  :  the  tail 
and  the  head  of  a  small  eel  are  cut  off  and  joined  together,  and 
one  large  hook  being  run  down  through  the  centre,  so  as  to 
bend  the  tail  sufficiently,  it  becomes  a  by  no  means  ineffective 
spinning  bait,  though  somewhat  of  the  rudest.  I  have  seen  it 
used  on  a  long  horsehair  knotted  line,  with  a  yard  of  fine 
whipcord,  one  coarse  swivel,  and  a  small  bullet.  The  line  is 
coiled  round  the  arm,  and  no  rod  being  used,  the  bullet  is  swung 
round  and  then  jerked  out  into  the  water,  being  drawn  in  hand 
over  hand.  When  a  run  ensues,  the  fish  is  struck  and  played 
by  hand.  This  is  perhaps  the  rudest  fashion  of  spinning  for 
pike  extant,  and  must  be  a  relic  of  the  barbarous  ages,  I  should 
imagine. 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  pike  to  take  a  worm  ;  I  once 
captured  four  in  one  evening  with  a  small  red  worm  and  roach 
tackle,  losing  two  others,  which  managed  to  cut  the  hook  off ; 
and,  on  subsequent  occasions,  I  took  seven  or  eight  more,  one 
or  two  a  day,  in  the  same  piece  of  water.  They  will  also  run  at 
anything  moving.  I  was  tench-fishing  on  the  same  water 
towards  dusk  on  one  of  these  days,  when  a  fish  ran  at  and  took 
my  float  as  I  was  drawing  it  slowly  towards  me  along  the 
surface  ;  he  got  his  teeth  into  the  cork  and  could  not  get  rid  of 
it  at  first,  and  I  played  him  for  a  minute  or  so  until  he  managed 
to  get  quit  of  it. 

Having  now  told  the  young  angler  how  to  prepare  and  bait 
his  tackle,  and  what  tackle  may  be  used,  with  the  methods  of 
using  them,  how  to  hook,  play,  and  land  his  pike,  I  shall  tell 
him  where  to  fish  for  him.    When  I  say  where  to  fish  for  him, 


HAUNTS   OF  THE  PIKE  97 

I  do  not  mean  in  what  localities ;  for  if  I  knew  any  good 
localities,  I  should  keep  them  to  myself,  as  my  own  experience 
tells  me  that  good  pike-fishing  is  far  more  scarce  than  good 
salmon-fishing,  and  is  much  more  easily  spoiled.  I  think  this 
is  owing  to  the  practice  among  anglers  of  killing  small  fish. 
If  we  kill  the  small  fish,  it  is  evident  that  they  cannot  grow  into 
large  ones.  Had  I  the  management  of  a  good  pike  water,  I 
would  allow  nothing  but  spinning,  and  no  fish  under  four 
pounds  to  be  killed.  Be  satisfied,  O  angler,  with  landing  the 
three-pounder ;  you  have  had  your  sport  from  him,  let  him  go 
to  grow  bigger,  that  your  sport  may  grow  with  him,  and  your 
horn  be  exalted  some  day  at  killing  a  twenty-pounder.  Some 
time  since,  I  turned  seven  fish  of  under  a  pound  and  a  half  each 
(part  of  my  day's  take)  into  a  cunning  corner  in  the  Thames  ; 
the  very  next  day  a  pot-hunter  came  and  took  four  of  them, 
and  carried  them  away. 

Confound  all  pot-hunters, 
Frustrate  these  knave  punters,  etc. 

say  I  ;  for  they  are  the  curse  of  most  waters  and  of  all  fair 
fishers,  while  unfortunately  their  name  is  legion. 

In  ponds  or  lakes,  the  angler  should  attend  more  particularly 
to  the  shallow  portions,  where  the  water  does  not  exceed  from 
seven  to  eight  feet  in  depth  ;  and  even  in  less  than  this  he  will 
find  the  best  sport.  Pike  prefer  the  shallower  waters,  especially 
when  feeding,  as  there  bait  is  the  most  plentiful.  If  there  be  a 
shallow  margin,  and  then  a  sudden  deepening  of  the  water,  the 
fish  are  fond  of  lying  just  on  the  edge,  between  the  two — at 
least  that  is  where  they  more  often  take  the  bait,  and  a  bait 
pitched  off  the  shore  into  the  deepish  water,  and  spun  rapidly 
towards  the  shallow,  as  if  seeking  to  escape  in  that  direction, 
will  be  pretty  sure  to  "  get  a  bid."  The  angler  should  always 
take  care  to  pay  especial  attention  to  the  neighbourhood  of 
weeds,  reeds,  or  flags  ;  the  last-named  are  very  favourite 
lairs  with  pike,  and  when  they  exist  to  any  extent,  the  angler 
will  find  his  account  in  sending  a  boat  or  a  Newfoundland  dog 
into  them,  to  beat  the  fish  out,  half  an  hour  before  he  begins  to 
fish.  It  may  seem  a  strange  direction  to  give,  but  it  must  be 
evident  that  if  the  pike  be  yards  deep  in  a  reed  or  weed  bed 
they  will  hardly  catch  sight  of  the  bait  outside.  If  the  weed  bed 
has  occasional  holes  and  open  spaces  in  it,  it  will  be  advisable, 
before  having  recourse  to  the  clearing-out  system  recom- 
mended, to  try  them  with  the  dead  gorge.    In  such  a  place  you 


98  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

are  more  safe  to  kill  with  it  than  with  a  dead  snap,  as  you  can 
hang  on  to  your  fish  with  more  safety  ;  and  should  he  make  a 
twenty-yard's  run  in  the  midst  of  a  thick  weed-bed,  threading 
innumerable  rushy  needles  with  the  assistance  of  your  line,  he 
will  be  the  less  Hkely  to  leave  you  behind  with  nothing  but  half 
a  hundredweight  of  weed  on  your  hook  and  line.  In  lakes,  try 
the  sheltered  shallow  bays,  where  the  bottom  is  well  covered 
with  lily  leaves  and  roots,  also  the  outsides  of  reed  beds,  and  all 
such  places.  In  rivers  very  much  depends  upon  the  time  of  the 
year.  In  the  spring  the  fish  are  spawning.  In  the  summer  they 
lie  in  the  open  reaches,  or  the  eddies  and  holes  by  weirs,  and 
under  boughs  or  mill  aprons,  by  lock  gates,  etc.  ;  often  feeding 
in  the  heavier  streams.  With  the  autumn  floods,  they  get  into 
the  weed  beds,  or  the  large  still  spots  where  a  back-water 
debouches,  or  below  an  island.  In  such  places  they  will 
be  often  found  gathered  together  in  large  numbers,  on  some 
favourite  spot  of  ground  but  a  few  yards  square.  Always  try 
such  spots  carefully,  or  you  may  miss  the  fish  altogether,  and 
yet  if  you  take  one,  you  may,  by  sticking  to  the  same  locality, 
catch  a  dozen  or  more.  I  once  caught  twenty-four  in  two  days 
from  under  the  apron  of  Hampton  Court  weir. 


I 


CHAPTER  V 

ARTIFICIAL    FLY-FISHING 

Varieties  of  Trout — Instructions  as  to  Rods  and  Tackle — How  to  use  them — 
Weather — How  to  choose  Flies — Dress — Night-Fishing, 

THE  TROUT   (Salmo  fario) 

PROBABLY  of  all  the  fish  that  inhabit  the  fresh 
waters,  there  is  none  which  afford  so  wide-spread 
and  great  an  amount  of  sport  to  the  angler  as  the 
trout,  and  this  is  partly  owing  to  the  natiu-e  of  the 
fish  itself,  and  partly  to  the  exceedingly  wide  area  of  its  distri- 
bution, for  it  is  found  in  almost  all  temperate  and  cold  climates. 
But  if  the  localities  in  which  it  is  found  are  various,  scarcely  less 
so  are  the  characteristics  of  the  fish  itself.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to 
behevethat  the  strongly  marked  differences  found  to  exist  do  not 
almost  constitute  separate  species.  I  do  not  allude  to  the  mere 
question  of  size,  though  that  is  sufficiently  striking  at  times  to 
raise  a  doubt  as  to  their  identity  in  the  angler's  mind  ;  for  who 
that  looks  upon  the  noble  Thames  trout  of  fourteen  or  fifteen 
pounds  weight,  in  all  its  panoply  of  silver,  could,  when  placing 
it  beside  the  little  dark-coloured,  smutty-looking  troutling  of 
three  or  four  ounces,  hooked  out  from  under  some  overhanging 
bank  in  a  moss  burn,  hold  that  they  were  brothers  of  the  same 
family  ?  But  there  are  often  actual  differences  in  their 
anatomy,  in  so  far  as  relates  to  the  number  of  their  fin  rays 
and  vertebrae.  Indeed,  in  examining  two  trout  from  different 
streams,  even  though  one  may  be  a  tributary  of  the  other,  not 
only  will  a  marked  difference  often  be  observed,  but  that 
difference  will  hardly  ever  be  found  to  be  absent.  This  point  is 
one  which  it  is  difficult  to  account  for,  and  we  can  but  speculate 
upon  it.  The  markings  also  vary  greatly.  Some  trout  are 
almost  without  the  red  spots,  others  are  as  distinctly  parr 
marked  as  any  salmon  fry,  while  their  brothers  in  the  same 
water  will  be  destitute  of  such  markings  altogether.  In  fact, 
the  varieties  are  endless,  for  every  stream  has  its  particular 

99 


100  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

breed  of  trout,  and  hardly  ever  will  any  two  be  found  to  agree 
in  all  points. 

I  am,  however,  writing  rather  upon  anghng  than  natural 
history,  and  therefore  I  recur  at  once  to  the  legitimate  purpose 
of  my  work,  merely  throwing  out  a  hint  which  may  often  find 
amusement  for  the  speculative  naturalist,  who  may  be  an 
angler  also.  But  if  trout  are  various  in  their  forms  and  shapes, 
no  less  various  are  the  means  employed  to  take  them,  there 
being  hardly  any  of  the  numerous  plans  adopted  for  wiUng 
fish  from  their  watery  domains  which  may  not  be  successfully 
applied  to  the  capture  of  trout  (for  the  trout  feeds  equally  at 
the  top,  in  the  middle,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  water),  while 
the  baits  and  lines  employed  to  take  them  are  far  more 
numerous  than  those  used  for  any  other  fish — fly-fishing  with 
live  and  artificial  fly,  spinning  with  every  kind  of  real  and 
artificial  bait,  and  bottom-fishing  in  a  hundred  various  ways, 
being  all  more  or  less  in  vogue  with  the  adepts  in  trout-fishing. 

The  salmon-fisher  rejoices  in  the  vigour  and  size  of  his 
quarry,  and  exercises  his  patience  and  skill  in  the  capture  of 
the  noble  twenty-pounder,  which  gives  him  half  an  hour's  wild 
excitement  and  pleasure  ;  but  his  skill  and  patience  will  often 
be  taxed  to  the  uttermost,  and  vainly,  many  a  time  and  oft,  in 
the  attempt  to  hook  some  wily  old  four  or  five-pound  brook 
trout,  who  may  be  feeding  rapidly  and  constantly  under  his 
very  flies  which,  tied  on  almost  imperceptible  gut,  fall  like 
gossamer  above  him,  and  float  fruitlessly  down  o'er  his  head  as 
like  the  real  thing  as  human  cunning  can  contrive.  Nay,  you 
shall  even  float  the  Uve  fly,  drake,  stone,  or  what-not,  over  him 
so  deftly  that  nothing  in  your  deception  seems  to  you  wanting. 
You  shall  offer  him  worm,  minnow,  and  cad  bait,  or  drop  the 
all  but  irresistible  cockroach  or  cricket  within  his  ken,  while 
you  remain  concealed.  He  may  wave  his  fan-like  tail  coyly,  and 
take  a  nearer  glance  askance  at  your  bait,  but  proves  a  very 
St.  Anthony  to  your  temptation.  He  will  perhaps  come  to  it 
like  a  bulldog,  making  your  heart  jump  into  your  mouth,  but 
he  will  even  then  "  pull  up  sharp  on  the  post,"  as  turfites  say, 
and  refuse  it.  Do  what  you  will,  999  times  out  of  a  thousand 
his  virtue  is  ancient  Spartan,  and  his  cunning  modern  Spartan  ; 
but  haply  on  the  thousandth,  in  some  sheltering  flood,  a  fair 
deceiver,  which  proves  to  be  the  "  worst  devil  of  all  "  to  him, 
in  the  shape  of  a  fat  worm  or  minnow,  tempts  him — he  gobbles 
it  down,  and  dies  the  death.  Happy  you  if  it  be  your  worm  or 
minnow.     There  is  far  greater  skill,  caution,  patience,  and 


FLY-FISHING  FOR  TROUT  loi 

cunning  required  to  delude  such  a  fish  than  is  thought  of  in  the 
landing  of  the  noblest  twenty-pound  salmon  that  ever  sailed  up 
Tweed  or  Tay.  A  good  trout-fisher  will  easily  become  an 
expert  at  salmon-fishing,  but  a  very  respectable  practitioner 
with  the  salmon  rod  will  often  have  all  his  schooHng  to  do 
afresh,  should  he  descend  to  trout-fishing,  before  he  can  take 
rank  as  a  master  of  the  art. 

As  fly-fishing  is  at  once  the  most  popular  and  most  sports- 
manlike method  of  fishing  for  trout,  I  will  take  that  branch 
first.  It  is  the  custom  in  many  rivers,  particularly  in  the  more 
southern  counties,  as  in  Devonshire,  for  example,  to  com- 
mence fly-fishing  for  trout  as  early  as  the  months  of  February 
and  March.  No  doubt  the  trout  being  hungry  feed  better  then, 
but  they  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  in  such  condition  as  the  angler 
loves  to  see.  In  Devon,  the  trout  do  not,  to  my  thinking,  get 
into  anything  like  good  fettle  until  they  have  had  a  gorge  upon 
that  excellent  and  valuable  insect  the  March  brown.  In  many 
rivers  the  trout  are  hardly  in  fair  condition  in  May,  and  often 
not  until  June,  when  they  have  fed  upon  the  May  fly.  After  this 
they  are  in  the  primest  order,  and  require  all  the  angler's 
skill  to  take  them ;  but  they  will  then  repay  Mm  for  his 
trouble. 

To  commence  at  the  beginning,  I  will  suppose  that  the 
angler  is  a  novice,  and  intends  to  try  his  hand  with  a  single- 
handed  rod.  This  should  not  be  less  than  eleven,  nor  more  than 
thirteen  feet  in  length  ;  between  these  extremes  he  may  suit  his 
requirements  and  strength.*  I  say  strength,  because  the  angler 
should  never  over-burden  himself :  an  ounce  or  two  too  much 
in  a  rod  is  apparently  no  great  matter,  but  when  the  same  set 
of  muscles  have  to  lift  that  ounce  some  two  feet  from  five 
hundred  to  a  thousand  times  in  the  day,  it  will  be  seen  that  it 

1^  must  tell  heavily. 
^P  The  angler  will,  perhaps,  be  surprised  to  hear  how  little 
difference  there  is  usually  in  the  weight  of  single-handed  trout 
rods.  Here  are  the  dimensions  and  weights  of  four,  by  four 
different  makers,  which  I  selected  at  random  from  my  stock  : 
Gould. — A  hollow  cane  rod,  with  ash  butt,  12  ft.  8  in.  long  ; 
weight,  13  oz.  12  dr. 

Cheek. — A  common  hickory  rod,  of  the  usual  make,  rather 

*  Present  day  fly-fishers  will  rub  their  eyes  on  reading  this.  Nine  feet  is 
the  maximum  length  of  a  modern  single-handed  fly  rod,  the  materials  of 
which  it  is  made,  whether  green-heart  or  split  cane,  being  alike  heavier  and 
more  powerful  than  those  specified  by  Francis. — Ed. 


k 


102  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

stout  in  the  butt,  but  very  handy  and  well  balanced,  ii  ft.  6  in. 
long  ;  weight,  14  oz.  6  dr. 

Bowness. — Ordinary  hickory  rod,  rather  light  and  whippy, 
II  ft.  8  in.  long  ;  weight,  13  oz.  4  dr. 

Aldred. — ^This  is  one  of  the  glued  triangular  spliced  rods, 
that  is,  the  joints  consist  of  three  long  pieces  of  bamboo 
cane,  carefully  fitted,  glued  up,  and  tied  every  inch  and  a 
half.  This  rod,  though  a  beautiful  specimen  of  workmanship, 
is  rather  tiring  to  the  arm,  being  a  little  top-heavy,  and  lacking 
the  free  spring  of  the  last  two,  though  it  has  great  power  of 
resistance  with  a  heavy  fish.  Length,  12  ft.  4I  in.  ;  weight, 
13  oz.  8  dr.* 

That  the  reader  may  get  an  accurate  comparative  view 
of  these,  I  put  them  together  : 


oz. 

dr. 

ft. 

in. 

I  Gould 

•    13 

12 

12 

8 

2  Cheek 

.    14 

6 

II 

7 

3  Bowness 

.    13 

4 

II 

8 

4  Alfred 

.   13 

8 

12 

4i 

So  that,  after  all,  it  reduces  itself  to  a  question  of  drams. 
Well,  if  a  horsehair  can  pull  down  the  strength  of  a  great 
fish,  a  dram  or  two  (no  pun  intended)  may  well  pull  down 
the  strength  of  the  human  arm.  The  great  thing  I  deduce 
from  the  above  is,  not  to  have  a  single-handed  rod  the  least 
top-heavy.  The  rod  which  figures  as  the  heaviest  by  ten 
drams  in  the  above  list  is  lighter  to  the  feel  and  easier  to  fish 
with  than  either  of  those  numbered  i  and  4,  and  yet  it  is 
ten  drams  heavier  than  one,  and  fourteen  drams,  or  nearly 
an  ounce,  heavier  than  the  other ;  and  this  I  hold  to  be  a 
significant  fact,  because  the  introduction  of  greenheart  and 
Castle  Connel  rods  has  been  working  an  entire  revolution  in 
this  respect,  and  top-heavy  rods  are  the  order  of  the  day.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  you  can  with  these  rods  heave  out  more  line, 
but  if  the  stream  I  desired  to  fish  required  long  throws  and 
more  power,  I  would  not  sacrifice  comfort  in  fishing,  but  would 
simply  prefer  a  double-handed  rod  at  once.  The  above- 
named  rods,  which  are  a  good  deal  used  now,  are  so  small  in 
the  butt,  and  so  top-heavy,  that  they  are  to  me  entirely 
detestable,  and  I  would  not  fish  with  one  of  them  if  it  would 

*  This  is  the  earliest  mention  which  I  have  met  with  in  angUng  literature 
of  the  split  cane  rod.  The  reader  will  note  that  it  is  of  very  different  con- 
struction from  the  complex  article,  with  or  without  steel  centre,  now  in 
vogue. — Ed. 


TROUT  RODS  103 

throw  one  hundred  yards  of  line.  I  like  plenty  of  substance 
in  the  butt  to  grasp,  and  then  I  am  sure  that  any  weight  in 
reason  which  may  be  thrown  into  the  upper  joints  will  be 
carried  comfortably. 

To  get  at  a  fair  medium  size  for  a  single-handed  rod,  I 
would  say  that  probably  a  rod  of  twelve  feet,  or  thereabouts, 
will  suit  the  generality  of  anglers  sufficiently  well.  Then 
comes  the  question  of  pHabiHty.  Some  anglers  prefer  a  very 
phable  rod,  others  a  very  stiff  one  ;  some  a  heavy  rod  and 
some  a  light  one.  For  very  light  flies,  dehcate  casting,  and 
horsehair  points,  or  casting  lines,  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  side 
of  pHabihty  than  the  reverse,  but  when  the  trout  run  above 
half  a  pound  in  weight,  and  the  stream  is  rough  or  otherwise 
dangerous,  it  will  be  as  well  to  eschew  horsehair.  The  novice 
certainly  should  commence  with  gut,  if  he  would  save  himself 
endless  breakages,  losses  of  fish  and  flies,  and  interminable 
vexations.  When  he  is  au  fait  with  that,  if  he  chooses  he  can 
come  to  hair.  A  very  stiff  rod  is  useful  under  some  circum- 
stances, but  is  very  apt  to  snap  off  flies,  and,  though  desirable 
in  windy  weather,  in  moderate  weather  it  will  not  cast  so 
long  or  light  a  line  as  a  fairly  pliable  rod.  I  like  a  rod  which 
is  neither  too  stiff  nor  too  whippy,  but  of  moderate  pHabiUty, 
so  that  it  will  cast  comfortably  a  midge  fly  for  a  long  throw 
without  danger  of  flicking  it  off,  or  will  Uft  a  pound  trout  over 
a  run  of  weeds  when  you  want  to  get  out  of  difficulties.    It 

IK  must  be  remembered  here  that  the  play  of  a  rod  is  acted  upon 
Bi^ore  or  less  by  the  weight  of  the  line,  and  a  stiff  rod  may  be 
made  more  pliable  by  a  heavier  line  ;  as  a  rule,  however, 
these  two  important  articles  should  be  carefully  adapted 
to  each  other,  for  no  rod  will  carry  a  hne  which  bends  it 
too  much  for  any  length  of  time  without  straining  and  warping 

1^  irretrievably. 
H  I  have,  however,  after  long  experience,  given  up  using 
single-hand  rods  altogether,  for  there  is  nothing  which  you 
can  do  with  the  single-hand  rod  which  you  cannot  do  with 
a  double-hand  one,  and  there  are  many  things  which  you  can 
do  with  the  double-hand  rod  which  you  cannot  do  with  the 
single.  In  the  first  place,  you  have  much  greater  power  in  a 
double  rod,  and  if  you  get  hold  of  a  large  fish  you  can  kill 
him  with  more  certainty  and  less  loss  of  time.  You  can  also 
play  a  fish  with  more  ease  and  lift  your  line  over  distant  weeds, 
or  bushes  on  the  bank,  which  would  often  be  fatal  to  the 
single  rod.    When  the  grass  and  weeds  are  high,  or,  as  is  often 


104  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

the  case,  there  is  a  hedge  within  reach  behind  you,  they  can 
be  avoided  far  better  with  an  extra  eighteen  inches  or  so  in 
the  length  of  the  rod,  and  when  fishing  with  a  single  rod 
just  before  haymaking,  the  annoyance  of  catching  hold  of 
a  long  spear  of  grass  behind  you  every  now  and  then  is  very 
considerable.  And  beyond  all  this,  to  fish  a  whole  day  with  a 
single-hand  rod  is  very  trying  to  the  forearm,  and  more 
particularly  to  the  grasp  of  the  right  hand.  Many  a  time  has 
my  hand  and  arm  ached  so  after  a  long  spell  of  casting  that  I 
have  been  compelled  to  leave  off  to  rest  them  ;  and  when  the 
arm  and  grasp  get  tired  there  is  not  that  certainty  and  precision 
in  the  cast  that  is  advisable.  For  all  these  reasons,  and  many 
more  which  it  is  needless  to  enumerate,  I  hold  that  a  double- 
hand  trout  rod  is  far  preferable  to  a  single  one,  and  I  am  sure 
that  any  fisherman  who  gives  them  a  fair  trial  will  come  to 
the  same  conclusion  that  I  have.  I  have  made  many  converts 
by  inducing  single-hand  rod  fishers  to  try  one  of  my  doubles 
for  a  day. 

^^The  ordinary  length  of  a  double  rod  is  from  about  14  ft. 
to  14  ft.  6  in.  I,  however,  like  a  long  rod,  and  I  usually  prefer 
one  of  14  ft.  6  in.  Such  a  rod  should  be  tolerably  pliable,  while 
the  selection  of  the  wood  may  be  left  to  the  tackle-maker. 

I  will,  however,  describe  two  rods  which  I  use,  and  with 
which  I  am  quite  content.  The  rod  I  generally  fish  with  is 
three  jointed,  the  two  lower  joints  being  of  bamboo  and  the 
top  of  a  single  splinter  of  greenheart ;  it  has  upright  rings. 
This  rod,  however,  is  rather  stiff  in  the  two  lower  joints,  but 
as  there  is  plenty  of  flexibility  in  the  top,  a  little  care  enables 
me  to  throw  not  only  a  very  long  line,  but  small  flies  without 
much  danger.  I  had  it  made  to  pattern  by  Ogden,  of  Chelten- 
ham ;  and  originally  the  top  was  spliced,  and  was  some  three 
or  four  inches  shorter,  and  the  reason  for  this  was  as  follows. 
A  season  on  the  Border  had  shown  me  that  when  fishing  the 
streams  in  that  part  of  the  kingdom  the  angler  cannot  tell 
when  he  starts,  whether  before  the  day  is  over  he  may  have  to 
use  fly,  worm,  or  minnow  ;  and  to  carry  a  rod  with  a  spare 
top  for  these  purposes,  and  to  be  changing  the  top  now  and 
then  is  inconvenient,  and  therefore  I  had  a  rod  made  which 
might  answer  without  alteration  for  all  these  purposes,  and  I 
found  that  it  answered  very  well  indeed  ;  but  not  requiring 
it  for  that  work,  and  needing  it  more  particularly  for  a  fly  rod, 
I  discarded  the  spliced  tops,  finding  that  as  all  the  work  in 
fly-fishing  rested  with  the  top,  the  splices  suffered,  and  I  had 


TROUT  RODS  105 

the  greenheart  top  above-mentioned  made,  and  of  an  extra 
length  of  some  three  or  four  inches,  to  give  increased  play. 
This  rod  I  always  fish  with  in  small  streams  and  it  works 
admirably.  It  is  very  light  and  handy,  possesses  great  power, 
for  I  can  pull  a  pound  and  a  half  trout  though  weeds  on  an 
emergence  with  it  without  the  sHghtest  injury  to  the  top — 
thanks  to  the  noble  quahties  of  the  greenheart — and  I  can 
cast  a  midge  fly  with  it  as  well  as  with  a  single-hand  rod. 
As  I  am  used  to  it  I  would  not  change  it  for  any  other.  I 
leave  other  anglers  to  please  themselves,  as  they  may  not 
approve  of  the  manufacture.  My  other  double  rod  is  of 
hickory,  and  was  made  by  Carter,  of  Pentonville  ;  it  is  15  ft. 
2  in.  long,  and  is  of  course  somewhat  heavier  than  the  last 
rod.  It  is  a  splendid  rod  for  large  fish,  possessing  great  power  ; 
for  flies  of  moderate  size  it  is  perfection,  but  it  is  only  fair  to 
say  that  it  is  rather  severe  upon  midge  flies,  and  sometimes 
leaves  the  stretcher  reposing  on  the  grass.  I  had  it  made  for 
large  trout  and  sea  trout,  with  the  chance  now  and  then  of  a 
grilse  ;  but  it  answers  exceedingly  well  even  on  small  streams, 
when  the  smallest  sized  flies  are  not  needed  ;  and  with  a 
trout  of  from  three  to  seven  pounds  weight,  it  is  delightful  to 
hold  such  a  weapon.  I  killed  four  fish  with  a  large  palmer  fly 
at  Alton  during  two  evenings  in  the  first  season  I  used  it  that 
weighed  together  twenty-two  pounds,  and  the  proprietor  of 
the  water  was  so  pleased  with  it  that  he  had  one  made  to  the 
same  pattern.  Previous  to  that  time  he  had  always  used  a 
single-hand  rod,  but  as  the  fish  run  very  large,  even  up  to 
nine  or  ten  pounds  in  his  water,  he  often  had  great  difficulty 
in  landing  them.  These  are  the  only  two  double-hand  trout 
rods  I  ever  use,  and  if  my  old  bamboo  ever  wears  out  in  my 
hands  I  shall  certainly  order  another  to  match  it. 

As  hardly  anybody  makes  his  own  rod  nowadays,  the 
best  direction  I  can  give  is  to  go  to  a  first-class  rod  maker, 
pay  him  a  good  price,  tell  him  the  sort  of  rod  you  want,  if 
you  are  not  equal  to  choosing  one  for  yourself,  and  leave  it 
in  his  hands,  and  nineteen  times  in  twenty  you  will  have  no 
reason  to  regret  it. 

The  gut  for  the  casting  fine,  lash,  or  point  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  should  taper  from  the  loop  down  to  the  first 
drop  fly,  after  which  it  should  be  as  fine  as  can  be  obtained. 
If  no  drop  flies  are  used,  it  may  taper  to  within  two  feet  of 
the  fly,  whence  the  gut  should  be  fine.  If  these  directions 
are  properly  attended  to,  they  will  facilitate  straight,  light, 


io6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  even  throwing.  When  two  flies  are  used,  the  one  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  cast  is  called  the  stretcher ;  the  one 
which  is  fastened  two  feet  or  so  above  it  is  called  the  drop  or 
bob  fly  ;  if  three  or  more  be  used,  the  uppermost  fly  is  called 
the  first  dropper,  the  next  the  second  and  so  on.  In  putting 
flies  on  to  the  casting  line,  always  put  the  heaviest  fly  on  as 
the  stretcher,  for  if  this  practice  be  reversed,  the  heaviest  fly 
receiving  the  greatest  momentum  goes  first,  and  is  apt  to 
double  over  the  lighter  one,  and  thus  the  drop  will  fall  over 
the  stretcher,  and  a  foul  will  be  the  consequence  ;  or  to 
avoid  this  so  much  force  will  need  to  be  used  that  the  flies  will 
ahght  in  anything  but  gossamer  fashion.  It  is  almost  un- 
necessary to  say  what  will  be  the  result  of  either  of  these 
contingencies  if  you  happen  to  be  casting  over  a  good  fish. 
Probably  you  will  see  a  wave  on  the  water  as  he  dashes  away 
to  his  lair,  but  that  is  all.  You  will  have  spoilt  him  for  hours, 
and  the  fish  that  would  have  come  up  and  sucked  in  your  fly 
with  the  most  confident  greediness  and  innocence  will  re- 
member the  bungle  that  scared  him  perhaps  for  the  rest  of 
the  day.  I  cannot  too  much  impress  upon  the  young  angler 
the  necessity  for  neat  and  light  casting  in  trout-fishing.  Old 
anglers  sometimes  may  take  liberties  in  this  respect,  and  lose 
nothing  by  it,  but  then  they  know  when  to  take  them  and 
how,  which  the  novice  does  not. 

The  casting  line  should  vary  sHghtly  in  length  with  the 
water  and  weather.  In  June  weather,  and  shallow  clear 
water,  not  less  than  three  yards  should  be  used,  three  and  a 
half  is  even  better,  and  four  if  the  angler  can  throw  it  neatly 
and  well — which  few  can,  for  the  longer  the  casting  line,  the 
more  difficult  it  is  to  throw  and  place  neatly.*  In  rough, 
windy  weather,  or  in  heavy,  thick  water,  a  shorter  line  may 
suffice.  In  windy  weather  particularly,  a  long  casting  fine 
becomes  troublesome. 

In  fixing  drop  flies  on  a  casting  line,  loops  are  so  clumsy 
as  to  be  objectionable.  I  have  tried  all  sorts  of  plans,  and 
I  find  the  following  decidedly  the  best.  At  the  knots  in  the 
cast  line,  about  which  I  wish  to  tie  my  droppers,  in  cutting 
off  the  ends  of  the  gut  after  tying  the  knot,  I  leave  about  a 
quarter  or  a  sixth  of  an  inch  of  the  upper  end,  or  that  above 
the  knot,  uncut.    This  I  secure  to  the  fine  by  a  fine  silk  lashing, 

*  The  tendency  of  late  has  been  to  reduce  the  length  of  casting  line.  One 
of  the  two  best  dry  fly-fishers  of  my  acquaintance  uses  one  not  exceeding 
six  feet  in  length. — Ed. 


LINES  AND  KNOTS  107 

well  varnished.     On  this  I  tie  my  dropper.     It  serves  two 
purposes — stops  the  knot  and  saves  chafing,  and  strengthens 

I^Bjthe  line  at  the  very  point  where  it  is  weakest  when  a  fish 
flakes  the  dropper.  I  then  cut  the  gut  of  my  drop  fly  to  about 
five  inches  long,  well  wet  the  end,  and  tie  a  single  knot  in  the 
extreme  end.  I  then  take  a  single  tie  (the  gut  being  still 
moist),  the  knot  being  upwards  or  away  from  the  knot  on  the 
cast  line,  and  draw  the  two  tight  over  the  dressed  space  above 
the  knot,  and  it  will  never  sHp,  at  least  I  have  never  found  it 
do  so.  This  knot  is  shown  in  Plate  III,  Fig.  i,  page  66.  If 
you  cannot  open  the  knot  with  a  pin  point  when  you  wish  to 
take  the  dropper  off,  just  slip  the  knot  off  with  a  penknife, 
and  a  pull  will  release  the  fly,  while  the  loss  of  gut  will  not  be 
a  quarter  of  an  inch.  Several  knots  may  thus  be  tied  ;  and 
before  you  get  the  gut  too  short  for  use,  the  fly  will  probably 
be  worn  out.  If  you  want  to  be  very  secure,  hold  the  knot 
against  the  knot  in  the  cast  line,  the  fly  pointing  upwards 
and  from  it,  and  tie  a  single  tie,  and  then  another,  between 
the  tie  and  the  end  knot,  and  it  is  impossible  to  have  any 
slip  ;  but  in  this  instance  you  will  most  likely  find  it  necessary 
to  cut  the  whole  of  the  tie  off,  and  will  lose  more  than  half  an 
inch  of  gut.  Where  the  droppers  are  not  required  to  be 
removed,  I  have  seen  the  flies  dressed  upon  long  strands  of 
gut,  and  the  gut  tied  into  the  casting  line  as  a  part  of  it  some 
four  inches  above  the  fly,  but  I  do  not  like  the  plan.  Some 
persons,  again,  adopt  the  plan  of  forming  a  slip  loop  in  the 
casting  line,  by  tying  each  end  of  a  strand  round  the  gut  of 
the  other  strand,  slipping  the  knotted  end  of  the  dropper 
between,  and  then  drawing  the  knots  home  tightly,  as  shown 
in  Plate  III,  Fig.  2,  page  66  ;  but  this  is  troublesome  to  open, 
it  frays  the  gut  at  a  critical  point,  and  is  not  to  my  mind  the 
_^nost  secure  way  of  putting  on  a  dropper. 
Hi  The  running  or  reel  line  should  be  of  hair  and  silk  mixed.* 
^ome  anglers  prefer  plaited  dressed  silk,  but  I  do  not  like 
such  lines  for  single-hand  rods  ;  they  want  lightness  and 
elasticity.  Some,  again,  say  that  they  should  be  all  hair, 
but  this  is  as  bad  as  the  other,  as  a  hair  fine  is  apt  to  kink 
and  hang  in  the  rings.  Some  aver  that  silk  and  hair  do  not 
mix  well — that  one  gives  while  the  other  does  not,  and  so 
forth.    I  have  occasionally  in  plaited  lines  found,  after  a  heavy 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  the  author,  after  having  experience  of  a  silk  line, 
should  have  gone  back  to  one  of  hair  and  silk,  which  most,  if  not  all,  present- 
day  anglers  regard  as  an  abomination. — Ed. 


io8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

strain  caused  by  the  hanging  up  of  a  fly  in  some  distant 
obstruction,  and  the  strong  pull  required  to  loosen  it,  that 
strands  of  hair  have  broken  into  minute  particles  ;  but  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  the  hair  used  in  such  cases  was  not  at 
first  of  the  best  quality.  I  think  there  is  greater  ease  and 
comfort  in  fishing  with  a  plaited,  tapered,  mixed  Hne,  well 
made  and  of  good  material,  than  with  either  of  the  others. 
The  line  should  be  bought  to  suit  the  rod ;  and  here  is  a 
point  anglers  almost  alwaj^s  lose  sight  of,  though  it  is  of 
great  importance.  Thirty  or  forty  yards  of  trout  line — ^that 
is  what  they  require.  It  may  be  tolerably  fine,  or  very  fine,  or 
perhaps  moderately  stout.  Now,  it  may  chance  that  the  rod 
will  not  throw  a  very  fine  line,  being  somewhat  stiff,  and  then 
ensues  no  end  of  poppings  and  crackings,  as  if  the  rod  were  a 
cart  whip  and  the  trout  a  team  of  Suffolk  punches  ;  and  flies 
go  to  grass,  or  supposing  they  do  not  go  quite  so  far,  the 
gut  at  the  head  of  the  fly  gets  so  broken  and  damaged  that 
the  first  good  fish  which  comes  at  it  takes  it  away.  Perhaps, 
to  avoid  the  incessant  popping,  the  angler  gives  a  little  more 
time  behind,  when  he  makes  constant  and  exasperating 
acquaintance  with  thistles,  or  a  more  than  ordinarily  long 
blade  of  grass,  with  a  nice  knobby  unbreakable  head  to  it, 
up  to  which  the  fly  slides  and  jambs  as  neatly  as  if  it  were 
made  for  it.  Mayhap,  in  one  of  these  drawbacks,  smash 
goes  the  top  of  his  rod  just  above  the  brazing,  and  this  will  of 
course  be  well  home  in  the  ferrule,  as  it  always  is  when  you 
would  just  as  soon  that  it  was  not,  and  you  accordingly  find 
that  there  is  perhaps  Httle  or  nothing  to  catch  hold  of  to  pull 
out  the  fragment  by.  You  damage  a  favourite  grinder  or  so 
in  trying  to  twist  it  out  with  your  teeth,  and  finally  the  aid 
of  science,  a  penknife  and  picker,  is  invoked  to  worm  out  the 
stoppage.  You  are  lucky  indeed  if  the  best  half  of  the  day 
is  not  lost  in  this  interesting  occupation,  the  trout  meanwhile 
rising  right  under  your  nose,  as  if  they  knew  all  about  it,  and 
were  determined  to  make  the  best  of  their  time  ;  and  when 
at  last  the  spare  top  or  the  old  one,  by  the  assistance  of  a  bit 
of  wet  paper  and  some  lashing,  is  once  more  set  up,  the  rise 
is  over,  and  not  a  trout  is  to  be  seen.  This  is  the  pleasant  est 
aspect,  but  at  the  worst  (and  this  is  something  awful  to  con- 
template) the  refractory  brazing  resists  all  efforts  to  release 
it,  and  the  angler  has  to  put  his  rod  over  his  shoulder  and 
stalk  gloomily  home  from  two  or  three  to  ten  or  a  dozen 
mortal  miles,  and  all  because  he  has  neglected  to  suit  his  line 


SUIT  THE  LINE  TO  THE  ROD  log 

to  his  rod.*  Now,  this  is  no  fancy,  and  these  are  no  imaginary 
cases.  I  have  known  them  happen  half  a  dozen  times  and 
more  ;  on  the  other  hand,  perhaps,  the  rod  being  rather 
Umber,  will  not  support  a  heavy  line,  and  the  angler  goes  on 
threshing  the  water,  coming  down  on  the  surface  with  a 
splash  sufficient  to  frighten  away  every  fish  within  fifty 
yards,  all  the  while  straining  and  warping  his  top  all  to  pieces, 
as  it  keeps  bending  and  groaning  under  the  infliction,  and 
perhaps  actually  in  the  end  does  smash  from  pure  weariness, 
and  then,  "  Oh,  the  wood  is  rotten  !  "  and  "  Confound  that 
rogue  of  a  rod  maker  !  "  and  the  poor  tackle  maker  gets  a 
bad  name  through  the  fisherman's  ignorance  and  carelessness. 
And  I  have  seen  this  happen  too,  over  and  over  again.  A 
too  heavy  line  in  a  month  will  wear  a  rod  out  more  than 
years  of  fair  angling.  If  in  throwing  the  line  when  it  goes 
back,  and  is  about  to  be  urged  forwards,  it  feels  in  the  least 
degree  heavy,  it  is  too  heavy  for  the  rod.  If  none  of  the  above 
contingencies  occur  in  their  worst  phases,  then  a  still  worse 
one  happens  in  another,  viz.  to  avoid  the  consequences  here 
set  down,  the  angler  has  to  employ  some  particular  knack 
or  method  of  getting  his  hne  out,  which  inevitably  gets  him 
into  a  bad  style,  and  a  false  form  of  fishing,  out  of  which  he 
will  never  after  get  as  long  as  he  Uves.  I  cannot  here  give 
any  exact  directions  whereby  such  errors  in  choice  may  be 
avoided,  but  if  the  angler  will  request  his  tackle  maker  to 
choose  him  a  line  suitable  to  his  rod,  he  will  seldom  go  far 
wrong.  If  this  does  not  suit  him,  and  he  is  unable  to  choose 
well  for  himself,  then  he  must  risk  the  consequences. 

The  running  hne,  like  the  casting  line  should  be  carefully 
tapered  and  should  end  in  a  neat  loop.f  If  a  knot  be  used 
and  a  tie  be  resorted  to  to  fix  the  casting  line  to  it,  this  knot 
will  often,  when  taken  apart,  to  save  time  be  broken  off,  and 
the  fine  little  by  httle  is  reduced  in  length  until  much  of  the 
fine  tapering  is  lost  to  it,  and  the  thickness  of  the  running  line 

♦  The  author  here  describes  graphically  a  mishap  with  which  both  salmon 
and  trout  anglers  were  painfully  familiar  fifty  years  ago.  But  the  invention, 
first  of  the  bayonet  fastening  to  replace  the  slip  ferrule  in  trout  rods,  and  next 
of  adhesive  tape  for  lapping  the  splices  of  salmon  rods,  has  redeemed  the 
situation. — Ed. 

t  This  may  prove  harmless  in  fishing  a  wet  fly  down-stream ;  but  in 
casting  up-stream,  wet  or  dry,  a  loop  is  very  objectionable.  So  long  ago  as 
1857  W.  C.  Stewart  wrote  in  The  Practical  Angler:  "Loops  make  such  a 
show  in  the  water  that  we  never  have  one  in  any  part  of  our  line." 
Experienced  salmon  and  trout  fishers  almost  invariably  attach  the  cast  to 
the  reel  line  by  a  figure  of  eight  knot. — Ed. 


116  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  the  fineness  of  the  cast  make  a  very  unequal  junction, 
so' that  the  running  Hne  goes  before  the  casting  hne,  and  it 
requires  a  sharp  switch  or  cut  to  get  the  casting  hne  fairly 
forward.  This  makes  the  fly  fall  heavily  and  overworks  the 
rod-top.  rs 

A  plain  chck  winch  is  the  best.  For  trout  it  should  be  not 
too  heavy  in  the  click  or  the  line  will  not  pay  out  as  fast  as 
it  is  required  should  a  good  fish  make  a  run  ;  neither  should 
it  be  so  light  as  to  overrun  or  leave  loose  line  on  the  barrel. 
It  should  be  capable  of  taking  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  line 
of  medium  size  easily ;  should  be  broad  in  the  plate  and  not 
too  wide  between  the  plates.  Avoid  all  multiplying  abomina- 
tions as  you  would  swearing,  for  the  one  will  be  sure  to  produce 
the  other  by  getting  out  of  order  at  the  most  critical  moment. 
Having  chosen  rod,  line,  and  casting  line,  the  next  thing  to 
settle  upon  will  be  flies.  In  his  choice  of  these  the  angler 
must  be  guided  by  the  time  of  year  and  the  character  of  the 
water.  I  have  appended  a  list  of  flies  selected  from  the  best 
authors  and  my  own  experience.  This  list  is  a  long  one,  and, 
for  all  general  purposes,  perhaps  nearly  half  of  the  flies  therein 
mentioned  are  unnecessary  ;  many  of  them  are  tried  favourites 
upon  some  waters  and  cannot  safely  be  discarded.  Those 
without  any  star  affixed  to  them,  in  the  condensed  list,  are 
such  as  I  myself  have  found  to  be  good  general  killers,  and, 
with  a  fair  selection  of  them,  with  a  slight  variety  as  to  size 
and  colour  for  various  waters,  the  angler  need  never  fear  to 
attack  any  river  in  the  kingdom,  and  sure  I  am  that  if  he 
cannot  find  a  killer  among  them  his  hopes  of  sport  are  very  small. 

Before  proceeding  to  fish,  the  angler  had  better  pick  out 
a  selection  of  those  flies  which  he  is  most  likely  to  want,  and 
arrange  them  in  the  handiest  places  in  his  book.  One  never 
can  tell  exactly  what  one  may  require,  but  there  are  always 
several  flies  which  are  probable,  and  a  few  of  these  will  be 
more  than  likely,  and  from  them  he  will  select  his  first  cast. 
He  should  then  always  set  up  a  spare  cast  of  flies,  so  that  if 
he  meets  with  an  accident  or  requires  to  change,  he  can  do  so 
at  once  with  little  or  no  delay,  as  when  the  fish  are  rising  well, 
delays  of  any  kind  are  intolerable,  and  to  have  at  such  times 
to  be  hunting  your  book  through  for  a  fly  or  two  which  should 
be  ready  to  hand,  is  sure  to  be  productive  of  three  great  and 
alliterative  losses — loss  of  time,  loss  of  tackle,  and  loss  of 
temper.  He  must  of  course  judge  for  himself  whether  in 
setting  up  his  spare  cast  it  is  desirable  merely  to  repeat  the 


I 


CASTING  THE  FLY  ill 

one  he  has  on  or  to  vary  it.  I  find  it  most  convenient  to  wind 
my  cast  round  my  hat,  as  it  makes  a  larger  coil  and  does  not 
require  soaking  to  take  the  turns  out,  and  I  find  the  fly  hat- 
band, which  I  invented  some  years  since  and  gave  to  Mr. 
Farlow,  of  great  service,  as  spare  and  stray  flies  can  be  looped 
on  and  safely  stuck  into  it  without  damage  to  gut  or  hook- 
point,  and  when  it  is  not  wanted  the  band  can  be  taken  off 
and  put  away. 

Having  selected  his  flies  and  affixed  them  to  his  casting 
line,  we  will  suppose  the  angler  at  the  river  side  :  approaching 
the  bank  with  caution,  let  him  choose  the  most  likely  spot  to 
commence  operations.  Before  commencing,  however,  he 
should  be  sure  to  see  that  his  casting  fine  is  thoroughly  straight 
and  even  with  no  bends  or  turns  in  it,  as  these  will  cause  an 
unnatural  glitter  on  the  line,  and  displacement  of  the  water. 
Now,  there  are  two  ways  of  fly-fishing,  viz.  with  the  dry 
fly  and  with  the  wet  fly.  Some  fishermen  always  use  one  plan, 
others  almost  as  pertinaciously  use  the  other.  To  use  either 
of  them  invariably  is  wrong.  Sometimes  the  one  will  be 
found  to  kill  best  and  sometimes  the  other.  In  fine  waters, 
particularly  in  the  southern  counties,  where  fly-fishing  for 
trout  is  certainly  more  of  a  systematic  art  that  it  is  in  the 
north,  the  dry  fly  is  greatly  used,  and  with  very  deadly  effect 
at  times.  In  very  calm,  bright,  and  still  weather,  when  a  wet 
fly  will  often  be  useless,  the  dry  fly  will  be  taken  most  con- 
fidingly. In  rough,  windy  weather  the  wet  fly  is  preferable, 
but  I  shall  return  to  this  subject  presently.  At  present,  as 
the  angler  is  supposed  to  be  a  novice,  he  will  hardly  commence 
with  the  dry  fly  as  it  is  rather  more  difficult  to  fish  with  than 
the  wet.  We  will  suppose  that  he  has  soaked  his  gut  by 
allowing  it  to  remain  some  minutes  in  the  water.  Old  or  used 
gut  will  soak  much  quicker  than  new — indeed,  the  angler 
will  often  find  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in  getting  new  gut 
properly  soaked.  In  this  case,  having  wet  it,  he  should  draw 
it  through  his  fingers,  but  not  too  roughly  lest  he  fray  the 
gut,  then  wet  it  again,  and  repeat  the  drawing  and  wetting 
until  it  becomes  pliable. 

Standing  with  his  face  rather  up-stream,  he  must  let  off 
about  as  much  or  a  little  more  line  than  his  rod's  length, 
and  poising  the  rod  in  his  right  hand  in  almost  an  upright 
position  with  a  slight  forward  slant,  and  holding  the  stretcher- 
fly  between  his  left  finger  and  thumb  a  little  wide  of  his  body 
^  so  as  to  clear  it,  wave  the  rod  gently  back  over  his  right 


112  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

shoulder,  releasing  the  fly  as  he  does  so  ;  when  he  has  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  fly  line  is  fairly  extended  behind  him,  he 
must  bring  it  forward  again  with  a  slight  outward  sweep  so 
that  the  fly  may  not  double  too  sharply  back  or  crack.  If  he 
does  not  give  sufficient  time  for  the  line  to  extend  itself,  and 
if  he  makes  the  return  too  directly,  he  will  probably  hear  a 
slight  pop  behind  ;  if  he  does  so  a  trifle  more  quickly  and 
directly,  the  pop  will  become  a  crack,  and  then  he  will  know 
that  his  fly  is  reposing  peacefully  in  the  long  grass  behind  him, 
while  his  line,  guiltless  of  a  lure,  is  extended  on  the  surface 
of  the  water.  Some  people  who  make  the  return  very  directly 
always  pop  their  flies.  The  sound  is  a  most  unpleasant  one 
to  a  neat  fisherman,  as  at  every  pop  the  gut  at  the  head  of 
the  fly  is  more  or  less  cracked  and  broken,  until  at  last  the 
fly  bangs  by  a  sort  of  pulp,  the  hard  surface  of  the  gut  being 
altogether  destroyed.  The  angler  may  make  the  curve  or 
sweep  I  have  spoken  of  either  on  the  inside  or  outside.  The 
outside  is  the  easiest  to  the  novice,  and  the  throw  will  be  the 
more  neatly  made.  To  the  experienced  hand,  the  one  is  as 
easy  as  the  other.  By  the  outside  sweep,  I  mean  that  the 
rod  is  waved  backwards,  say,  six  inches  or  so  from  the  ear, 
and  is  then  brought  forward  some  six  inches  farther  from  it ; 
in  the  inside  sweep  this  is  of  course  reversed,  the  line  being 
cast  back  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  inches  from  the  ear  and 
returned  forward  at  about  six  or  eight  inches.  In  Plate  VI, 
Fig.  4,  page  93,  the  diagram  shows  the  direction  the  rod- 
point  is  supposed  to  travel  over,  as  regards  the  head  of  the 
angler,  which  may  be  seen  beside  it.  Now,  in  bringing  the  fly 
forward,  the  angler  should  fix  his  eye  upon  the  spot  he  desires 
to  cast  towards,  and  endeavour  to  make  the  hand  second 
the  eye  by  urging  the  point  of  the  rod  towards  it ;  there 
should  be  no  jerking  ;  the  forward  motion  should  be  a  little 
swifter  than  the  backward  one.  When  the  point  of  the  rod 
has  reached  an  angle  of  about  45°,  the  motion  should  be 
checked  or  eased,  so  as  to  gradually  check  the  fine  and  let  it 
fall  lightly  on  the  water.  If  this  be  not  done,  or  a  sort  of 
forward  cut  be  made,  as  though  the  angler  were  chopping  at 
the  opposite  bank  with  his  rod,  the  line  is  cast  clean  and  hard 
down  into  the  water  and  the  flies  make  a  splash.  This  may 
be  requisite  in  very  windy  weather,  particularly  if  the  wind  be 
adverse,  but  in  such  circumstances  light  throwing  is  of  less 
consequence,  as  the  water  will  probably  be  rough,  and  the 
only  object  is  to  get  the  line  out  at  all.    If  the  angler  follows 


m 


m 


I 


LONG  CASTING  NOT  RECOMMENDED  113 

these  directions  properly,  his  hne  will  fall  neatly  and  well  in 
e  water.  He  should  let  it  rest  a  second  or  so,  then  commence 
raising  the  point  of  his  rod  gradually  until  it  almost  reaches 
the  position  he  started  from,  when  he  must,  with  a  swift  drag, 
raise  the  line  sharply  and  neatly  from  the  water,  fetching 
the  line  back  over  his  shoulder,  and  repeat  his  cast  as  already 
shown. 

When  by  practice  he  can  manage  this  throw  neatly  and 
well,  he  may  let  out  a  little  more  line,  and  so  go  on  increasing 
the  length  of  his  throws,  until  he  gets  about  twice  the  length 
of  his  rod  out.  For  a  first  lesson  he  will  find  this  sufficient ; 
with  this  he  had  better  practise  until  he  can  throw  lightly  and 
well  towards  his  mark.  Subsequent  practice  will  no  doubt 
enable  him  to  cast  three  times  the  length  of  the  rod,  and 
every  yard  which  he  becomes  able  to  cast  over  that  is  good 
work,  but  he  should  remember  that  long  casting  is  one  thing, 
but  to  fish  a  long  cast  properly  is  quite  another.  Many  anglers 
may  throw  sixteen  or  seventeen  or  even  more  yards  of  line 
who  cannot  fish  it.  It  is  only  the  thoroughly  experienced 
fly-fisher  who  can  fish  these  long  casts  properly.  A  green 
hand  may  by  dint  of  raising  his  hand  to  the  level  of  the  crown 
of  his  hat  and  slashing  away  at  the  imminent  risk  of  tackle 
and  everything  else,  be  able  to  get  it  out  somehow.  But  what 
a  spectacle  he  becomes  when,  faihng  to  get  such  a  length  of 
line  off  the  water  properly,  he  finds  one  of  the  flies  in  his 
whiskers  and  the  other  perhaps  fast  in  his  creel  or  an  adjacent 
bush.  Let  the  young  angler  he  content  with  doing  what  he  does 
do  well :  increasing  his  range  of  practice  by  little  and  slow 
degrees,  and  making  sure  fishing  of  every  extra  foot  he  gains. 
I  consider  from  eighteen  to  twenty  yards  a  very  long  throw 
with  a  single-handed  rod,  and  there  is  not  an  angler  in  a 
thousand  that  can  throw  it ;  while,  of  those  who  can  throw 
it  (properly),  not  one  in  a  hundred  can  fish  it.  I  may  add 
that  I  measure  length  of  a  cast  from  the  reel.  In  long  throws, 
the  difficulty  lies  in  getting  the  line  quickly  and  neatly  off 
the  water,  and  for  this  purpose,  of  course,  the  draw  should 
be  made  much  sooner  than  in  short  throws.  All  casts  with 
e  single-handed  rod  should  be  made  with  the  forearm. 
The  upper  arm  should  never  come  into  play  ;  the  elbow 
should  be  kept  not  quite  close  to  the  side,  but  near  it,  and 
always  down  ;  and,  in  casting,  the  top  joint  should  be  allowed 
to  do  its  full  work.  If  this  be  judiciously  attended  to,  the 
angler  will  find  that  even  for  long  throws  very  little  more 


114  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

force  than  usual  is  required  ;  indeed,  the  less  force  used  the 
better.  The  great  proportion  of  anglers  use  double  the  force 
that  would  be  needed  to  cast  a  much  longer  and  lighter  line 
than  they  do  cast. 

I  will  now  suppose  the  angler  to  have  acquired  the  art  of 
casting  tolerably  well.  Having  cast  his  line  out  into  the 
stream,  so  as  to  have  it  all  clear  and  straight,  he  should  make 
his  first  cast  up-stream,  parallel  and  as  close  as  he  conveniently 
can  to  the  bank  on  his  own  side  of  the  stream,  as  here  the  best 
fish  are  lying  in  wait.  The  line  will  come  floating  down  towards 
him  with  the  stream,  and  he  should  never  draw  it  faster  than 
the  stream,  or  it  will  travel  faster  than  the  natural  flies  which 
are  coming  down  with  it,  and  this  will  beget  suspicion  on  the 
part  of  the  fish,  besides  making  an  unnecessary  disturbance 
in  the  water.  All  that  he  has  to  do  is  to  keep  steadily  raising 
his  rod  so  as  to  keep  the  fly  near  the  top  of  the  water,  and 
to  have  as  little  slack  line  in  the  water  as  possible.  Some 
people  work  their  flies  ;  but  unless  the  fly  be  sunk  rather 
deeply  in  the  water  (when  it  is  mistaken  rather  for  some 
quick  darting  water  larva  than  a  fly),  this  is  bad,  and  often 
destructive  of  sport.  Watch  the  flies  upon  the  water  how 
they  come  floating  down.  They  do  not  dart  and  spring  and 
shoot  about — that  is,  the  great  majority  of  them  do  not. 
There  are  one  or  two,  as  the  stone  fly  and  certain  spider  flies, 
that  do  so.  If  fishing  with  these,  motion  may  be  given  to  them, 
but  with  three-fourths  of  the  flies  it  is  worse  than  unnecessary. 
Let  the  fly  come  properly  home  and  then  make  another  cast 
about  a  yard  farther  from  the  bank,  and  so  go  on  covering 
fresh  water  at  every  throw,  until  you  have  fished  the  entire 
water,  each  throw  representing  a  radius  to  the  quarter  of  a 
circle,  when  you  can  take  a  step  or  two  farther  up  the  stream 
and  repeat  the  process. 

Now,  this  is  the  way  to  fish  a  stream  thoroughly  when  you 
are,  as  it  were,  searching  for  fish  and  do  not  know  the  stream 
or  where  they  may  come  up,  but  if  the  fish  are  rising  fairly 
it  is  a  needless  waste  of  time.  Cast,  then,  over  the  rising  fish, 
and  fish  over  the  likely  spots,  and  don't  dwell  upon  barren 
water.  In  casting  over  a  rising  fish  be  careful  not  to  put  the 
line  across  him,  as  the  sight  of  the  whole  of  the  casting  line 
coming  down  immediately  over  his  head  will  not  increase  his 
confidence.  Throw  beside  and  above  him,  and  allow  him  to 
see  as  much  as  he  likes  of  the  fly  and  as  little  as  possible  of  the 
fine.    In  Plate  VI,  page  93,  the  Fig.  3  is  the  right  way  and 


UP-STREAM  OR  DOWN-STREAM  ?  115 

Fig.  2  the  wrong.  If  a  fish  rises,  a  shght  upward  or  down- 
ward turn  of  the  wrist  will  be  sufficient  to  fix  the  hook,  and 
here,  as  in  spinning,  the  downward  strike  is  preferable,  but 
beware  of  striking  too  hard,  the  lightest  twitch  is  not  only 
sufiicient  but  far  the  best.  As  to  giving  any  direct  rules  when 
to  strike,  they  would  be  of  little  avail,  as  sometimes  fish  rise 
quickly  and  take  quickly  ;  sometimes  with  more  circumspec- 
tion, and  sometimes  altogether  falsely — practice  alone  will 
teach  the  angler  what  to  do,  and  how  and  when  to  do  it. 

And  now  a  word  or  two  about  the  much  discussed  point  as 
to  fishing  up-stream  or  down,  though  what  there  is  to  discuss 
in  it,  or  how  any  difference  of  opinion  can  exist,  I  cannot 
understand.  The  angler  should  never  fish  down-stream  if 
he  can  by  any  possibility  fish  up.  The  fish  lie  with  their  heads 
up-stream.  They  see  the  flies  coming  down  towards  them 
and  they  rise  to  meet  them.  The  angler  is  far  behind  them, 
and  of  course  they  are  not  so  likely  to  see  him.  If  a  fish  takes  the 
fly  fairly  then  the  angler  will,  if  he  strikes  properly,  hardly 
ever  miss  his  fish,  because  he  pulls  the  fly  towards,  and  as  it 
were  into,  the  fish's  mouth,  whereas  in  fishing  down  he  will 
perpetually  pull  it  out  of  his  mouth  ;  added  to  this,  in  fishing 
down  every  fish  for  twenty  yards  can  see  him  coming,  and 
the  best  will  cease  rising  and  take  shelter  under  some  weed. 
Again,  if  he  hooks  a  good  fish  that  requires  play  he  must 
take  it  down  over  unfished  ground  disturbing  every  fish  for 
some  distance,  or  create  much  disturbance  of  the  water  and 
risk  breaking  the  hold  or  the  tackle.  If  the  wind  or  the 
rapidity  of  the  stream  prevent  the  angler  from  casting  directly 
■^  up-stream,  he  should  cast  across  and  as  well  up  as  he  can,  and 
IB  s^^^^  ^^*  ^^^  ^y  ^^^^  down  until  it  becomes  a  tight  fine  extended 
straight  below  him  down-stream.  But  even  then  he  should 
work  up-stream  if  possible.  But  to  cast  down-stream  and  work 
the  fly  up  against  it  is  not /^/-fishing.  I  do  not,  however,  deny 
that  plenty  of  fish  may  be  killed  so,  but  the  number  and  size 
will  be  heavily  in  favour  of  up  or  cross-stream  fishing.  If  the 
angler  must  fish  down-stream  he  should  still  cast  across  and 
let  the  fly  drift  down,  and  if  he  must  cast  straight  down  let 
him  cast  rather  short,  keeping  the  rod  pretty  upright  when 
the  line  is  delivered,  and  as  soon  as  the  fly  ahghts  on  the  water, 
he  can,  by  dropping  the  point  as  low  as  is  convenient,  still 
allow  his  fly  to  drop  down-stream.  If,  however,  he  will  cast 
down  and  draw  up  he  will  find  it  pay  better,  if  having  made  his 
cast  he  lets  the  fly  sink  some  inches  under  water,  even  to  mid- 


ii6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

water  if  he  pleases,  and  then  works  it  by  gently  rising  and 
falling  the  top  of  the  rod.  It  will  then  be  taken  for  a  larva, 
spider,  or  some  other  water  insect,  and  he  will  thus  improve 
his  chance  of  sport.  Indeed,  I  have  known  very  good  fishermen 
fish  so  and  take  very  good  fish. 

Here  is  another  wrinkle.  To  fish  a  stream  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage in  this  way  the  angler  should  pick  out  a  tolerably 
rapid  one,  get  above  it,  and  cast  into  the  head  of  it,  sinking 
and  working  his  fly,  and  as  he  does  so  he  should  gradually 
foot  by  foot  let  out  line,  and  in  this  way,  without  moving, 
he  may  fish  down  a  run  thirty  or  forty  yards  in  length,  and 
probably  some  very  good  fish  will  reward  his  efforts,  but  he 
will  have  to  work  them  up  against  the  stream  and  not  let 
them  go  down,  and  he  must  strike  at  the  slightest  touch,  for 
he  will  not  see  his  rises.  In  fishing  down,  as  the  line  is  always 
tight,  the  angler  must  be  very  careful  not  to  strike  too  hard. 
The  lightest  touch  is  enough,  and  a  sharp  stroke  will  part  the 
tackle  to  a  certainty,  particularly  if  the  gut  he  dry  and  has  been 
used  much  before* 

At  night,  however,  the  angler  should  always  fish  down, 
or  rather  across  and  down,  or  he  will  miss  three-fourths  of  his 
rises  owing  to  the  slack  line  not  giving  him  sufficiently  quick 
intimation  of  the  rise.  Added  to  this,  unless  he  makes  too 
much  disturbance,  the  fish  will  let  him  come  within  two  or 
three  yards  of  them,  and  the  fish  being  usually  on  the  watch 
for  any  insect  that  moves,  no  matter  how  or  what,  will  take  his 
fly  boldly.  But  I  shall  recur  to  night-fishing  hereafter.  The 
question  of  fishing  up  or  down,  therefore,  is,  to  a  certain  extent, 
a  divided  question,  but  the  angler  should  always  give  the 
preference  to  fishing  up.  But  in  whatever  style  he  fishes,  as 
his  art  is  one  of  clever  deception,  he  should  attend  to  and 
imitate  nature  as  closely  as  possible. 

In  very  windy  weather,  or  in  difficult  places,  'midst  trees 
and  bushes,  the  angler  will  often  have  to  employ  other  ways 
of  casting.  When  the  wind  is  blowing  heavily  down-stream 
or  he  has  trees  at  his  back,  he  will  have  to  switch  his  line.! 

♦  It  is  surprising  that  the  author  should  not  have  warned  the  beginner  in 
fly-fishing  for  trout  against  holding  a  finger  on  the  reel  line.  To  do  so  in 
fishing  with  fine  tackle,  whether  with  wet  or  dry  fly,  is  to  render  occasional 
fracture  of  the  gut  inevitable.  On  the  other  hand,  in  salmon  fishing,  the 
tackle  being  stronger  and  the  hook  larger,  more  force  is  required  to  bury  the 
barb,  and  this  is  ensured  by  keeping  a  finger  on  the  reel  line. — Ed. 

t  This  plan  is  more  often  adopted  in  salmon-fishing  with  the  double- 
handed  rod  than  in  trouting,  though  in  the  latter  it  may  at  times  be  used 
with  advantage. — F.  F, 


I 


SWITCHING  117 

Raising  the  point  of  the  rod  high  in  the  air,  so  as  to  lift  as  much 
of  his  Hne  as  possible  clear  of  the  water  without  Hfting  the  fly 
altogether  off  the  surface,  he  must  make  a  sharp  forward  and 
downward  cut,  and  the  fly  without  going  behind  him  at  all 
will  rise  from  the  water  and  describe  a  large  arc  of  a  circle 
in  the  air  towards  the  point  he  wishes.  A  wind  at  the  back 
will  much  facilitate  the  making  of  this  cast  effectually.  Occa- 
sionally he  will  meet  with  a  piece  of  water  where  the  trees  are 
not  only  close  at  his  back  but  where  their  branches  stretch 
out  over  the  water,  often  just  above  his  head.  This  is  usually 
tabooed  ground,  as  not  one  fisher  in  a  thousand  can  cast  a 
fly  in  it.  Here,  however,  "  recubans  sub  tegmine,"  the  largest 
trout  lie,  and  therefore  it  is  as  well  that  the  angler  should  take 
some  trouble  to  learn  how  to  fish  such  a  spot.  Now,  suppose 
the  branches  to  be  some  five  feet  only  above  the  surface  of  the 
stream,  and  the  banks  well  bushed.  The  angler  must  stoop 
down  on  one  knee,  extend  the  rod  over  the  water,  parallel  to  it, 
some  eighteen  inches  above  it — probably  he  will  find  it  easier 
to  fish  it  down-stream  if  at  all  rapid — and  letting  a  line  out 
about  half  as  long  again  as  the  rod  with  the  fingers  of  the  hand 
which  grasps  the  rod  turned  downwards  towards  the  water's 
surface,  the  back  of  the  hand  being  upwards — he  must  be 
particular  about  this,  as  the  whole  virtue  of  the  cast  lies  in 
the  peculiar  position  and  the  reversal  of  the  hand — he  must 
twitch  the  line  sharply  off  the  water  and  directly  up  the  stream, 
being  careful  not  to  bring  the  point  of  the  rod  too  far  round, 
or  the  fly  will  catch  the  bushes  on  the  bank  on  his  own  side, 
nor  higher  than  suffices  to  fetch  the  line  off  the  water,  or  he 
will  take  hold  of  the  branches  above  it.  When  the  hne  is 
fairly  extended  up-stream  he  may  make  his  cast  by  bringing 
his  hand  back  again  over  the  same  distance  it  has  just  travelled, 
but  as  he  does  so  he  must  reverse  the  position  of  the  fingers 
of  his  hand,  these  being  brought  upwards  while  the  back  of  the 
hand  is  brought  under  towards  the  water.  The  whole  secret 
of  the  cast  lies  in  this  turning  over  of  the  hand.  If  this  be 
done  properly,  the  angler  can  fish  such  spots  safely,  and  can 
pitch  his  fly  fairly  and  lightly  across  the  stream,  while  in  no 
other  way  that  he  can  devise  will  he  be  able  to  do  more  than 
to  cast  it  directly  down  the  stream,  or  if  it  ever  chances  to  go 
across,  it  will  go  with  such  a  splash  as  will  render  the  cast 
worse  than  useless,  while  he  will  be  perpetually  fouling  in  the 
branches  above  or  catching  on  the  surface  of  the  water  behind 
or  up-stream.    This  cast  is  difficult  to  learn  and  requires  much 


Ii8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

practice,  but  when  once  mastered  the  angler  will  find  it  of  the 
greatest  advantage,  and  he  will  be  able  to  drop  his  fly  just  where 
he  chooses.  For  this  casting  a  stiff  rod  is  decidedly  requisite, 
or  the  angler  will  not  be  able  to  get  his  line  quickly  and  cleanly 
enough  off  the  surface  when  about  to  make  his  cast,  for  he 
does  not  raise  it  directly  off  the  water,  as  in  ordinary  casting, 
but  rather  pulls  it  through  it,  and  if  the  rod  gave  too  much 
it  would  be  brought  so  far  round  before  the  line  was  got  off 
the  water  that  the  fly  would  catch  in  the  bank. 

I  have  now  told  the  young  fly-fisher  how  to  suit  himself 
with  rod  and  tackle  and  how  to  fish  a  stream,  and  I  will  add  a 
few  general  directions  which  have  been  gathered  by  long 
experience,  watchfulness,  and  by  thinking  nothing  which 
occurs  on  the  water,  or  in  connection  with  it,  unworthy  of 
notice  or  consideration.  And,  firstly,  as  to  the  weather  when 
the  angler  should  go  fly-fishing,  and  these  remarks  very  much 
apply  to  all  other  kinds  of  fishing.  Most  of  us  are  aware  of  the 
old  rhyme : — 

When  the  wind  blows  from  the  west, 
It  blows  the  hook  to  the  fish's  nest ; 
When  the  wind  blows  from  the  south. 
It  blows  the  hook  to  the  fish's  mouth  ; 
When  from  the  north  and  east  it  blows. 
Seldom  the  angler  fishing  goes. 

My  dear  friends  and  pupils,  don't  beUeve  it  :  if  you  possess 
a  copy  of  this  bit  of  ancient  doggerel,  let  it  be  anything  but  a 
rule  for  your  conduct.  You  may  have  sport  in  all  winds  and 
in  all  weathers,  or  you  may  not ;  as  long  as  the  wind  is  not 
too  heavy  and  is  up-stream,  be  sure  that  you  have  the  best 
wind  that  can  blow.  I  have  had  some  of  the  best  days  I  ever 
had  in  my  life  with  a  north  or  east  wind,  and  some  of  the  worst 
with  a  south  or  west  one.  Some  will  say,  choose  a  cloudy  day 
with  the  wind  here  or  there,  and  some  a  rainy  day  with  the 
wind  nowhere  ;  some  say,  never  fish  in  thundery  weather, 
whereas  I  have  caught  fish  again  and  again,  and  known  them 
caught,  in  all  possible  sorts  of  weather,  even  with  the  thunder 
cracking  all  round — nay,  directly  overhead.  I  do  not  believe 
there  is  any  rule  whatever  that  can  be  relied  upon.  I  have 
had  first-rate  sport  in  a  snow-storm  ere  now.  The  influences 
which  cause  fish  to  feed,  or  the  reverse,  are  as  much  a  mystery 
to  us  as  they  were  to  our  forefathers.  Fishes'  appetites  are 
doubtless  somewhat  like  our  own,  they  feed  best  when  they 
are  hungry,  and  when  they  can  do  so  with  the  least  fear.    Fish 


FISH  RISE  IN  ALL  WEATHERS  119 

feed  at  some  time  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  and  be  sure  if 
they  are  not  rising  it  is  because  there  are  no  flies  to  tempt  them. 
They  are  not  starving  by  way  of  amusement,  rely  upon  it,  but 
have  "  metal  more  attractive  "  down  below,  in  the  shape  of 
grubs,  worms,  larvae,  etc.  No  one  perhaps  would  willingly 
select  a  bright  hot  day,  with  no  wind  and  a  low  water,  yet  I 
have  at  times  had  excellent,  nay  the  best  of  sport  even,  on 
such  days.  And  few  would  choose  a  steely  bright  day  with  a 
cutting  easterly  wind,  and  little  or  no  fly  on  the  water  ;  but 
on  two  such  days  running  I  once,  in  Derbyshire,  killed  in  the 
brightest  possible  water  forty-six  brace  of  capital  trout  each 
day.  I  could  have  killed  more  on  the  second  day,  but  did  not 
care  to  carry  them,  and  I  have  often  had  good  sport  on  similar 
days  ;  some  of  the  best  days  I  have  had  this  season  (1867) 
were  on  bitterly  cold  days  with  a  north-east  wind,  and  little  or 
no  fly  on  ;  and  some  of  the  worst  on  warm  cloudy  days  with  a 
south  and  south-west  wind  and  plenty  of  fly.  Upon  the  other 
hand,  how  often  will  the  angler  go  out  upon  a  day  which  he 
would  have  picked  out  from  the  whole  year,  had  he  the  choice, 
and  do  little  or  nothing.  There  are  some  days,  nice,  brisk, 
cloudy  days,  with  a  steady  breeze,  and  not  too  much  fly,  and 
the  water  in  good  order,  which  the  angler  may  pretty  well 
count  upon  as  being  good  days,  and  be  seldom  deceived, 
though  he  may  sometimes  even  then  ;  but  as  to  picking  out  a 
day  when  he  can  be  sure  that  the  fish  will  not  feed,  it  is  beyond 
his  skill.  He  may  of  course  chance  to  be  right  and  he  may 
chance  to  be  wrong,  and  the  longer  he  is  a  fisherman  the  more 
he  will  discover  that  he  does  not  know  how  a  day  may  turn  out 
until  he  turns  out  his  creel  at  night.  It  not  unfrequently 
happens  that  some  very  slight  and  unexpected  change  will 
take  place,  some  new  fly  will  begin  to  hatch  out,  or  some  other 
insect  will  put  in  an  appearance,  which  sets  all  the  fish  feeding 
suddenly,  and  will  thus  afford  him  an  hour  or  two's  capital 
sport,  turning  a  bad  day  into  a  good  one.  My  advice  to  the 
young  angler  is,  always  carry  your  mackintosh,  be  patient 
and  persevering,  and  leave  the  weather  to  take  care  of  itself. 
As  regards  a  bright,  hot,  still  day,  although  I  do  not  say  that 
I  should  prefer  such  a  day,  yet  I  would  not  go  far  out  of  my 
way  to  avoid  it  if  the  water  be  in  fair  order  ;  on  a  similar  day 
last  year  I  caught  in  the  Kennet  (which  is  one  of  the  hardest 
streams  to  kill  a  dish  of -trout  in  that  I  know)  six  and  a  half 
brace  of  trout,  several  of  them  up  to  two  pounds,  and  one  of 
nearly  four — they  were  caught  with  a  good-sized  alder ;   and 


120  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

often  in  just  the  same  weather  have  I  had  capital  sport  with 
the  cocktail  in  the  Wandle,  and  that  is  by  no  means  an  easy 
stream  either  to  kill  fish  on  in  such  weather.  And  if  the  fish 
do  not  rise  well  in  the  hot  day,  they  generally  make  up  for  it 
in  the  evening.  Yet,  so  uncertain  is  anghng,  that  even  here 
the  angler  may  reckon  without  his  host,  for  after  such  a  day  a 
fog  may  get  up  when  (and  this  is  almost  the  only  tolerably 
certain  rule  that  I  know  of  in  respect  to  weather)  the  trout 
almost  invariably  cease  feeding.  I  have  tried  hard  to  account 
for  this,  and  I  think  it  may  be  that  the  fog  is  caused  by  evapora- 
tion induced  by  the  sudden  cold  upon  the  water  warmed  by 
the  hot  sun ;  *  that  this  sudden  chill,  evidenced  by  the  evapora- 
tion, checks  the  hatching  and  development  of  the  flies,  and 
the  fish  are  stopped  from  rising  in  consequence  of  the  absence 
of  fly.  I  have  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  the  change  by 
no  means  prevents  their  feeding  on  the  bottom,  and  at  such 
time  ground  food  will  not  be  refused.  Fish  will  not  feed  either 
in  a  rapidly  falling  water,  and  if  there  be  mills  on  the  stream 
they  will  often  spoil  the  best  evening's  sport  by  drawing  down 
the  water  ;  at  such  a  time  the  only  chance  an  angler  will  have 
of  a  fish  will  be  in  some  snug  corner,  under  an  overhanging 
bank — in  the  open  stream  his  efforts  will  be  fruitless. 

There  are,  however,  many  extraneous  circumstances  which 
have  much  to  do  with  the  feeding  of  our  fish  and  which  the 
angler  will  have  to  take  into  consideration,  and  which  affect 
rather  disastrously  many  of  our  best  streams,  as  sheep-washing, 
mine  water,  drainage,  etc.,  and  by  which  the  likeliest  day,  nay, 
the  likeliest  week,  may  be  seriously  damaged.  Last  season  I 
had  two  splendid  days  at  the  May  fly  spoilt  by  sheep-washing, 
and  this  season  I  had  my  best  day  spoilt.  All  that  can  be  said 
upon  weather  as  a  guide  is  but  of  a  very  general  and  imperfect 
nature.  One  or  two  points  may  be  accepted  which  are  more 
often  to  be  relied  on  than  not,  which  is  all  that  can  be  said  of 
them  ;  for  example  :  Fish  will  not  rise,  or  if  rising  will  not 
take  well,  when  heavy  clouds  are  coming  up  or  when  heavy 
rain  portends,  or  a  flood  threatens.  They  seem  to  have  some 
instinctive  notion  that  much  water  is  coming,  and  that  there 

*  The  cause  of  evening  fog  upon  a  river  in  summer  is  the  reverse  of  what  is 
here  suggested.  The  air,  warmed  by  the  day's  sunshine,  is  charged  with 
vapour  derived  from  evaporation  and  carried  in  an  invisible  state  till  the  air 
meets  the  chill  from  the  water,  when  the  vapour  is  suddenly  condensed  into 
minute  particles  of  water,  each  of  which  reflects  light,  rendering  the  air  opaque. 
A  similar  effect  is  created  by  grinding  a  piece  of  clear  glass  into  opaque  white 
powder. — Ed, 


PLATE  VII 


Dry  Fly  Water  on  the  Test. 


To  face  Page  121 


A  White  Trout  Stream,  Ballinahinch, 


THE  HAUNTS  OF  TROUT  121 

is  a  grand  feast  preparing  and  they  reserve  themselves  for  it. 
Dead  low  water  is  not,  as  a  rule,  desirable.  Sudden  and  violent 
changes  of  weather  are  not  favourable  to  good  takes,  neither 
are  extremes  of  weather  favourable,  as  excessive  wind,  rain, 
heat,  or  cold.  Frost  will  not  always  deter  them  if  there  be 
warm  gUmpses  of  weather  at  mid-day  ;  but  with  frost,  even- 
ings and  mornings  are  not  to  be  reUed  on.  The  angler  should 
never  go  out  on  the  day  after  a  flood  ;  a  flood  always  brings 
down  much  food,  and  the  fish  are  generally  gorged  and  lazy. 
If  the  water  clears  well  the  day  after  may  be  a  good  day  ; 
If  it  clears  slowly,  the  day  after  that  will  be  found  even  better. 
Fish  do  not  always  lie  in  the  same  spots  when  feeding ; 
much  depends  upon  the  weather.  The  angler  should  remember 
that  the  fish  always — particularly  in  larger  streams — follow 
the  food  ;  *  according,  therefore,  to  the  weather  let  him  study 
which  part  of  a  run  or  stream  is  likely  to  contain  the  most  food, 
for  here  he  will  assuredly  find  the  most  and  best  fish.  In  a  flood, 
the  fish  will  be  all  over  the  river  feeding,  and  he  will  take  fish 
in  spots  which  it  would  be  utterly  useless  to  fish  when  the  river 
is  down  to  its  natural  level  again.  The  neck  of  every  httle  nm 
between  two  stones  or  weeds,  the  eye  or  eddy  in  each  stream, 
will  then  have  its  feeding  fish.  The  eye  of  the  stream,  I  may 
take  occasion  to  say,  is  always  the  most  favourable  spot  for 
fish.  By  the  eye  I  mean  the  first  good  eddy  on  the  inside  of 
any  stream  after  it  commences  its  shoot.  Into  this  almost 
every  straw  or  insect  is  swept  in  its  downward  course,  to  be 
delivered  up  to  the  stream  again  after  it  has  made  a  revolution 
or  two,  perhaps  a  yard  or  so  lower  down,  and  here  the  fish 
are  on  the  watch  for  food.  In  hot  bright  weather,  the  fish 
will  be  at  the  tails  of  the  pools,  on  the  gravelly  shallows,  more 
often  sunning  themselves  than  feeding,  however.  Still  the 
angler,  by  letting  his  fly  work  down  from  the  head  of  the  stream 
to  the  end,  may  perhaps  pick  up  a  fish,  but  the  hooking  of 
^^ft  one  fish  will  be  the  signal  for  all  the  rest  to  rush  up  into  safety 
and  deep  water.  In  hot  weather,  too,  the  best  fish  may  be 
observed  under  the  deep  shades  of  overhanging  boughs,  lying 
within  an  inch  or  two  of  the  surface,  and  merely  lifting  their 

1^  noses  very  quietly  to  the  top,  as  fly,  beetle,  or  grub  comes 
^■floating  to  them.    Whenever  the  angler  sees  a  fish  rising  in 

*  In  small  brooks  a  good  trout  takes  up  his  berth,  which  is  generally  a 
likely  one  for  the  run  of  the  food,  and  does  not  wander  far  from  it.  The 
stream  is  his  purveyor.  In  larger  rivers  they  are  more  of  wanderers  and 
have  to  follow  the  food,  while  every  flood  will  alter  the  currents  and  runs. — 


I 


122  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

such  a  spot,  do  not  let  him  be  deluded  by  the  very  slight 
disturbance  it  makes  in  rising  into  the  belief  that  it  is  a  small 
fish  ;  nine  times  in  ten  it  is  a  good  fish,  and  often  a  superior 
one  and  worth  all  the  caution  and  skill  he  can  use,  and  in  such 
spots,  if  the  angler  can  get  his  bait  properly  to  the  fish,  he  will 
mostly  take.  In  windy  weather,  always  fish  the  bank  towards 
which  the  flies  are  blown,  for  close  to,  almost  touching,  the 
bank  the  big  trouts  will  be  often  picking  the  struggling  flies 
off  the  sedges  or  grass  as  they  try  to  escape.  You  cannot  then 
fish  too  close  to  the  bank. 

In  fishing  a  stream  when  the  fish  are  rising  under  the  opposite 
bank,  if  the  angler  can  make  his  fly  touch  the  bank,  or  even 
rest  upon  it,  so  that  it  will  drop  lightly  or  rather  be  swept  ofi 
into  the  water,  it  will  be  found  a  very  killing  method  ;  but 
this  requires  to  be  done  with  great  caution,  lest  the  fly  take 
hold  of  anything.  Short  grass,  earthy  banks,  or  rocks  are  the 
most  preferable  substances  on  which  to  practise  this  feat. 
Should  the  angler,  when  throwing  close  to  bushes,  hang  his 
fly  up  to  a  branch  or  spray,  let  him  not  use  any  violence 
in  trying  to  get  it  off  again  ;  a  very  gentle  pull  will  often  cause 
the  fly  to  come  off|and  even  to  unwind  itself  from  any  twig  it 
may  have  lapped;!  round  and  to  drop  into  the  water  safely 
(when  haply  a  rise  and  a  good  fish  may  reward  the  angler's 
gentleness),  whereas  a  sharp  tug  would  probably  have  fixed 
the  fly  in  the  obstruction  inextricably,  and  a  breakage  have 
ensued.  Try  a  steady  pull  but  not  a  hard  one  ;  if  this  fails, 
a  short  sharp  stroke  will  sometimes  save  the  tackle,  but  always 
try  gentleness  first,  for  "  persuasion  is  better  than  force." 
Some  trees  the  angler  can  venture,  and  with  comparative 
safety,  to  throw  closer  to  than  others,  the  smooth  hanging 
shape  of  the  leaves  and  brittleness  of  the  twigs  being  less 
dangerous  ;  but  beware  of  oak  or  hawthorn,  a  fixture  in  either 
is  all  but  a  certain  smash.  He  may  venture  to  throw  close  to 
flags,  almost  with  impunity,  for  if  the  hook  take  hold  they  will 
generally  split  from  bottom  to  top  ;  some  rushes  are  also 
tolerably  safe,  but  a  flowering  rush  or  reed  hath  knots  in  it 
through  which  no  hook  will  go.  When  a  breakage  is  necessary, 
do  not  strain  the  rod  ;  but  wind  up  all  the  line  you  possibly 
can,  and  then  take  an  almost  straight  pull  on  it. 

The  fisherman  should  look  behind  him  from  time  to  time  as 
he  works  along  the  banks  of  a  stream  ;  should  he  neglect 
this  and  get  hung  up  in  some  tall  tree  behind  him,  he  will  be 
more  likely  to  get  fixed  than  when  throwing  across,  because 


HOW  TO  DEAL  WITH  WEEDS  123 

of  the  heavy  drag  given  to  the  fly  in  the  forward  motion.  To 
provide  against  mischances  of  this  nature,  it  is  as  well  to  carry 
a  coil  of  stoutish  cord  in  the  pocket  or  basket  ;  this  takes  up 
little  or  no  room,  and  by  tying  a  stone  on  to  one  end  of  it  and 
throwing  over  the  offending  branch,  and  then  twisting  the 
depending  stone  round  and  round  the  length  held  in  the  hand, 
the  bough  may  generally  be  pulled  down  or  even  broken  off. 
Some  anglers  carry  one  of  those  little  hook-shaped  knives 
which  have  a  barbed  gaff  hook  on  the  reverse  side,  and  which 
can  be  screwed  into  the  butt  of  the  landing-handle.  These  are 
useful  in  cutting  free  a  weed  or  twig  which  may  be  within 
reach  ;  but  it  often  happens  that  the  handle  is  not  long  enough 
to  reach  high  up  into  a  tree,  and  therefore  the  coil  of  cord  is 
to  my  mind  preferable — at  any  rate  it  is  a  useful  adjunct. 

When  the  angler  hooks  a  fish  in  a  very  weedy  place,  the  best 
policy  is  a  bold  one.  Let  him  at  once,  before  the  fish  is  aware 
of  what  has  happened  to  him,  put  on  a  heavy  drag,  and  pull 
him  through  or  over  the  weeds  into  safe  water.  I  assure  the 
angler  that  this  is  much  easier  and  safer  than  it  either  sounds 
or  looks.  It  is  one  thing  for  the  angler  to  take  a  fish  through 
weeds,  but  quite  another  thing  for  the  fish  to  take  himself 
through  them.  In  the  one  case  he  does  not  see  where  he  is 
going  and  yields  to  the  impulse,  while  his  fins  offer  no  resistance ; 
in  the  other,  these  circumstances  are  reversed,  and  he  holds 
the  weeds  by  his  outspread  fins  and  often  also  by  his  mouth. 
This  last  season  I  was  frequently  obliged  to  exert  my  per- 
suasive powers  in  this  respect,  as  I  was  fishing  a  good  deal  in  a 
very  weedy  river  ;  and  one  day,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
the  keeper,  I  hauled  four  fish,  one  after  the  other,  out  of  very 
dangerous  holes  through  heavy  weeds  into  safe  water,  and 
landed  them  ;  three  of  them  weighed  one  pound  and  three- 
quarters  each,  and  the  fourth  two  pounds.  "  Never  see  any- 
one so  lucky  as  you  be,  sir,  wi'  big  fish,  don't  seem  to  care 
'bout  the  weeds,  not  a  mossel,"  said  the  keeper  ;  and  certainly 
some  of  the  places  were  as  nasty-looking  places  to  hook  a 
good  fish  in  as  anyone  could  desire  to  see  ;  but  prompt  mea- 
sures succeeded  where  a  timid  and  hesitating  hand  on  the  rod 
would  have  been  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  have  ended  in  the 
fish  bolting  into  a  weed  of  his  own  accord.  Should  a  fish  run  up 
under  a  weed,  in  his  efforts  to  escape,  it  is  manifest,  if  the  angler 
pulls  against  the  stream  and  the  lay  of  the  weed,  or  even  en- 
deavours to  pull  the  fish  up  through  the  weed,  or  sideways 
out  of  it,  that  he  will  fail.    The  only  way  to  extricate  such  a 


124  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

fish  when  he  has  succeeded  in  hanging  your  tackle  up,  is  to 
get  well  below  him,  let  out  a  longish  line,  sink  the  point  of  the 
rod  to  the  level  of  the  water,  and  put  a  steady  strain  on 
straight  down-stream.  The  fish  may  perhaps  for  a  time  be 
able  to  resist  this  strain,  but  patience  and  perseverance  will 
fetch  him  out  at  last ;  even  if  he  has  gripped  the  weed  in  his 
mouth,  as  fish  will  do,  he  must  open  his  mouth  eventually, 
particularly  as  he  has  the  fly  in  it  straining  and  pulling  at  him. 
I  do  not  say  that  this  plan  is  always  successful,  but  it  more 
often  is  than  not,  while  to  attempt  to  pull  the  fish  against  or 
across  the  weed  is  almost  certain  destruction  ;  a  gentle  sawing 
motion  may  at  times  be  used  with  excellent  effect,  if  the  angler 
has  reason  to  suppose  that  the  weed  hangs  at  all  on  the  line. 
Poking  or  stoning  a  fish  out  is  a  very  uncertain  remedy,  and, 
unless  you  can  see  and  manage  the  weed  very  well,  cutting  or 
hooking  it  up  is  unsafe,  and  sometimes  results  in  cutting  the 
line.  There  is  one  thing  the  angler  must  remember  in  fishing 
weedy  water,  and  that  is  to  eschew  the  use  of  a  dropper  ;  for 
if  his  trout  takes  to  weed,  towing  a  stretcher  or  dropper  fly 
after  him,  the  angler's  chance  is  of  the  smallest. 

As  in  bait-fishing  so  in  fly-fishing,  the  angler  should  always 
make  a  mental  note  of  any  good  fish  he  may  see,  and  take 
careful  stock  of  his  lying-ground,  and  any  obstruction,  bushes, 
etc.  ;  and  study  how  he  may  best  be  fished  for,  in  order  that 
he  may  know,  without  being  obliged  again  to  look  at  him, 
or  even  to  come  within  sight  of  him,  how  to  fish  when  he  again 
passes  his  lair.  If  he  does  so,  he  can  then  approach  without  ex- 
posing himself  in  any  way  to  the  watchful  fish,  knowing  at  the 
same  time  exactly  when  and  how  to  cast.  In  casting,  he  should 
also  bear  in  mind  that  the  first  time  a  fly  passes  over  a  fish  is 
far  more  likely  to  be  successful  than  any  subsequent  cast 
which  he  can  make,  and  consequently  he  cannot  use  too  much 
care  or  caution  in  making  it  neat  and  effective.  Let  him  be 
sure,  therefore,  by  a  wide  cast  or  two  away  from  the  fish,  that 
his  line  and  fly  are  in  good  order,  and  then  let  him  make  his 
cast  with  all  the  care  and  skill  he  is  capable  of  ;  and  nine  times 
in  ten  the  cast  will  be  lucky. 

I  always  Hke  to  illustrate  my  advice  if  I  can  from  actual 
experience,  and  I  will  do  so  now.  Some  years  ago  I  was 
fishing  the  Duke  of  Rutland's  water  on  the  Lathkill :  I  was 
approaching  a  bridge,  when  the  keeper  came  up,  and  as  we 
were  conversing,  he  pointed  to  a  fish  rising  just  at  the  mouth 
of  the  bridge-arch.     "  Now,  sir,"  said  he,  "  there  is  a  fish 


A  NEAT  CATCH  ON  THE  LATHKILL  125 

that's  worth  catching.  He's  a  sort  of  a  pet  of  mine  ;  scores 
of  people  have  tried  for  that  fish,  but  he's  too  artful  for  them. 
Give  him  a  try,  sir."  I  looked  at  the  spot ;  the  fish  was  rising 
regularly,  sucking  in  every  fly  that  came  down  ;  but  I  had  no 
doubt  that  he  could  see  us  perfectly  where  we  stood,  as  the 
water  was  entirely  open,  and  the  fish  could  not  be  approached 
from  below,  without  one's  being  seen.  It  was  evident  that  he 
always  was  thus  fished  for  ;  and  as,  when  he  rose,  he  could  see 
everything  for  thirty  yards  or  more  away,  the  instant  a  line 
fell  on  the  water  of  course  he  was  up  under  the  bridge  out  of 
harm's  way.  I  shook  my  head,  and  declined  to  make  a  spec- 
tacle of  myself  for  the  keeper's  amusement ;  but  I  took  a 
look  at  the  place,  both  above  and  below  bridge,  and  told  the 
keeper,  perhaps  half  in  bravado,  that  I  would  catch  his  fish 
as  I  returned.  The  keeper  grinned  mighty  incredulously,  and, 
having  pocketed  his  tip,  wished  me  good  morning.  Now, 
just  above  the  bridge,  and  certainly  not  above  five  or  six  feet 
or  so  above  it,  there  was  a  fall  or  dam  of  some  two  or  three 
feet,  and  as  I  looked  at  it,  it  struck  me  that  I  might,  by  manage- 
ment, get  my  fly  over  the  fish  without  his  seeing  me.  On  my 
return,  therefore,  I  stopped  wide  of  the  bridge,  and  above  it  ; 
and  after  measuring  the  distance  carefully  by  one  of  two 
preliminary  casts,  I  cast  as  far  as  possible  over  towards  the 
farther  side  of  the  arch,  in  the  space  between  the  fall  and  the 
bridge,  and  giving  all  the  fine  I  could,  I  let  it  sweep  round 
under  the  arch,  chancing  the  fact  of  the  trout  being  at  home,  ~ 
as  I  did  not  dare  to  look.  Sure  enough  he  was  at  home,  and 
just  as  my  fly  was  sweeping  down  towards  a  straight  line  I  felt 
a  gentle  touch,  which  I  answered  with  a  turn  of  the  wrist,  and 
a  nice  time  I  had  of  it,  for  up  he  bolted  into  the  fall,  and  a 
pretty  jiggering  match  he  gave  me.  Finding  that  I  was  not 
to  be  trifled  with,  he  rushed  down  under  the  arch,  but  it  was 
of  no  use,  for  in  due  time  I  basketed  him,  and  I  had  hardly 
done  so  and  moved  onwards,  when  the  keeper  came  towards 
me  again.  I  saw  him  glance  at  the  place  where  the  fish  usually 
rose  :  "  Ah,"  I  said,  "  it's  of  no  use  for  you  to  look  there  for 
him,  keeper  ;  you'll  never  see  him  make  circles  there  any  more. 
I  told  you  I'd  catch  him,  and  here  he  is."  The  keeper  looked 
at  the  fish,  and  his  bump  of  veneration,  I  could  see,  was 
greatly  enlarged.  Evidently  he  thought  me  a  dangerous 
customer,  and  well  he  might,  for  I  made  his  finny  charges  ^ 
stand  and  dehver  to  a  very  considerable  amount  before  I  fdj  ^Q^ 
them.     I  never  told  him  how  I  had  circi vented  his  pet, 


126  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

but  I  found  out  that  my  suspicions  as  to  how  it  had  always 
been  fished  for  were  correct. 

Yes  ;  there  is  nothing  pays  better  with  good  fish  than  a 
httle  careful  prehminary  study  of  their  territory.  Never  fish 
them  rashly  or  without  due  consideration,  or  you  do  more 
harm  than  good.  If  a  good  fish  rises  at  the  fly  and  refuses  it, 
you  should  not  cast  again  immediately ;  give  him  a  few 
minutes'  rest  to  recover  himself,  and  take  advantage  of  any 
cloud  or  puff  of  wind  that  may  occur  when  you  throw  again. 
If  he  again  comes  short,  give  him  another  rest,  and  try  a  dry 
fly  over  him  ;  it  that  fails  let  the  fly  sink  well  six  or  eight 
inches,  or  even  more,  under  water,  and  if  that  does  not  succeed, 
either  change  the  fly  or  leave  him — the  latter  for  choice. 

If  fish  are  rising  short,  roUing  over  the  fly,  or  flapping  at  it 
with  their  tails  to  drown  it,  oblige  them  at  once  by  letting  it 
sink,  and  your  attention  to  their  wishes  will  often  be  rewarded. 
To  show  the  advantage  at  times  of  sinking  the  fly,  I  will  relate 
a  circumstance. 

Fishing  in  Hampshire  some  time  since,  on  the  Earl  of 
Portsmouth's  water,  I  had  had  very  indifferent  sport  all  the 
morning,  for  although  there  was  a  good  breeze  on,  and  a  fair 
show  of  fly  (yellow  dun),  the  fish  appeared  to  take  very  badly, 
though  they  rose  well  enough.  I  had  cast  my  fly  into  the 
water,  and  having  to  light  my  pipe,  I  allowed  the  fly  to  sink  to 
the  bottom  ;  when  I  recommenced,  I  raised  the  point  of  the 
rod  to  withdraw  the  tackle,  but  the  line  was  too  long  and 
dragged,  and  I  fancied  it  had  taken  hold  of  a  weed.  I  then  took 
the  fine  in  by  hand,  and  found  that,  instead  of  being  caught  in 
a  weed,  the  fly  had  been  picked  up  by  a  good  fish.  I  struck  him 
with  the  hand  and  eventually  killed  him.  The  hint  was  not 
lost  on  me  :  I  had  thrown  over  a  good  fish  some  seven  yards 
above,  not  five  minutes  before,  and  he  had  risen  and  refused  ; 
I  now  cast  over  him  again,  and  allowed  the  fly  to  sink  to  mid- 
water,  when  he  took  it  directly,  and  I  killed  him.  I  then  tried 
some  other  fish,  which  I  had  previously  been  fishing  over 
futilely  ;  and,  following  the  same  plan,  I  rose  and  hooked  six 
brace  of  capital  fish  of  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  two  pounds 
each,  kiUing  four  brace  of  them,  and  losing  two  brace  owing  to 
my  hook  having  sprung  in  striking  a  good  fish  on  some  bony 
part  of  the  mouth.  I  had  only  killed  two  small  fish  during  the 
whole  of  the  morning  previously.  The  fish  were  evidently 
feeding  either  upon  drowned  flies  (though  these  would  hardly 
sink  I  fancy)  or  upon  larvae. 


LOOK  TO  YOUR  HOOK  !  127 

I  may  state  here,  that  in  deep  pools  or  mill  heads,  no  plan  is 
so  kiUing  as  to  suffer  the  fly  to  sink  to  the  bottom,  and  then  to 
work  it  with  short  sharp  shoots  up  to  the  surface.  Whether 
the  fish  mistake  it  for  the  larva  of  some  fly,  or  some  other 
water-insect,  or  a  fly  striving  to  get  to  the  surface,  or  what  they 
may  suppose  it  to  be  I  cannot  say.  I  only  know  that  this  is  a 
very  killing  plan  ;  and  many  a  good  dish  of  fish  have  I  picked 
up  thus,  when  I  could  not  coax  a  single  fish  to  come  up  to  the 
surface.  In  calm  or  hot  weather  it  is  a  capital  dodge.*  If  there 
is  too  much  stream,  bite  a  shot  on  the  gut  at  the  head  of  the 
fly,  and,  if  it  savour  not  too  much  of  taking  a  mean  advantage 
put  a  gentle  on  the  hook  ;  and  if  the  proprietor  of  the 
water  does  not  look  upon  it  as  poaching — as  "  aibhns  "  he  may 
— you  will  perhaps  not  regret  the  addition. 

When  the  angler  strikes  a  good  fish  at  all  heavily,  and  loses 
it,  he  should  always  look  at  his  hook.  Had  I  done  so,  when 
fishing  as  above,  I  should  have  saved  two  brace  of  good  fish. 
The  hook  will  sometimes  be  found  to  have  lost  the  fine  point 
and  sometimes  to  be  bent  outwards  ;  and  this  is  usually  caused 
by  its  hitting  obHquely  on  a  bone.  When  the  first  occurrence 
takes  place,  a  touch  from  a  fine  needle  file  will  put  a  fresh  point 
on  ;  but  in  the  second  case  the  fly  is  useless,  and  no  bending 
the  hook  back  to  its  place  will  render  it  either  serviceable  or 
reliable.  Off  with  it,  and  put  on  another,  and  lest  it  may 
chance  by  any  oversight  to  be  put  on  again,  break  the  fly  off 
and  throw  it  away,  or,  if  the  pattern  be  needed,  break  the  hook. 

*  I  had  somewhat  disheartening  proof  of  this  some  years  ago  when  I  was 
one  of  six  anglers  who  rented  the  Avington  water  of  the  Itchen.  I  took  the 
late  Mr.  Ashley  Dodd  to  fish  with  me  one  day  (the  rules  of  our  association 
allowed  a  member  to  introduce  a  friend  after  ist  September).  We  took 
separate  beats,  agreeing  to  meet  for  luncheon  at  a  place  which  those  who 
know  that  delectable  part  of  the  river  will  recognise  under  the  name  of  the 
Aquarium.  I  managed  with  much  difficulty  to  secure  a  brace  of  trout  on  a 
red  quill  ;  when  we  met  Mr.  Dodd  produced  either  two  or  three  brace,  I 
forget  which,  of  fine  fish.  I  asked  what  fly  they  had  taken.  "  Oh," 
said  he,  "  I  soon  gave  up  the  floating  fly.  I  did  them  with  this,"  holding  out 
a  huge  red  palmer  with  two  hooks  in  it.  Quoth  I,  "  You've  been  raking  the 
hatch  holes."  He  assured  me  he  had  not,  but  had  caught  his  fish  on  the  open 
river. 

Just  opposite  where  we  were  sitting  there  was  a  good  trout,  not  rising,  but 
poised  in  a  likely  attitude.  I  had  floated  the  quill  over  him  twenty  times  or 
more,  without  exciting  the  faintest  response.  I  bade  my  friend  try  him  with 
his  furry  monster.  He  put  out  a  long  line,  flung  the  thing  in  some  yards 
above  the  fish,  let  it  sink  and  brought  it  past  him  with  a  jerking  motion. 
The  trout  turned,  dashed  at  the  lure,  missed  it  and  returned  to  his  poise. 
A  second  cast,  and  he  was  hooked  and  landed,  one  pound  and  three- 
quarters.     I  am  bound  to  say  that  the  performance  put  me  somewhat  out  of 


128  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

I  have  mentioned  fishing  with  the  dry  fly,  and  it  is  at  times 
an  invaluable  method.  With  the  dry  fly,  fish  may  be  killed  on 
fine  bright  days,  when  the  wet  fly  will  be  almost  useless.  If  the 
angler  on  a  bright  calm  day  will  notice  the  class  of  flies  called 
duns,  he  will  see  how,  when  first  hatched,  they  come  floating 
down  with  wings  upright  and  unsoiled,  sitting  lightly  and 
cockily  on  the  water — tempting  morsels  to  the  greedy  fish. 
Few  flies  are  then  to  be  found  in  a  wet,  half -drowned  condition, 
and  therefore,  if  the  angler  sends  one  thus  to  the  fish,  it  is 
frequently  neglected.  Taking,  then,  two  or  three  turns  of  the 
fly  in  the  air  instead  of  one,  so  as  to  dry  the  tackle,  let  him 
deliver  the  fly  straightly  and  well  a  yard  above  the  fish,  and 
merely  raising  his  rod,  as  the  line  comes  home,  allow  the  fly, 
sustained  by  the  dry  hackle  and  wing  and  by  the  dry  gut,  to 
float  down  on  the  surface  like  the  natural  fly,  without  motion. 
If  the  gut  be  delivered  in  a  wavy  manner,  the  bends  and  turns 
in  it  will  show  a  glitter  and  startle  the  fish  ;  if  the  angler 
attempts  to  draw  the  fly  towards  him,  it  will  "  make  snakes," 
and  the  dry  gut  will  appear  like  a  huge  centipede  crawling  c  . 
the  water.  Perfect  quiescence  is  required.  It  is  quite  wonder- 
ful at  times  what  can  be  done  under  apparently  adverse 
circumstances  with  a  dry  fly,  no  weather  and  no  water  being 
proof  against  it.* 

The  judicious  and  perfect  application  of  dry,  wet,  and  mid- 
water  fly-fishing  stamps  the  finished  fly-fisher  with  the  hall- 
mark of  efficiency.  Generally,  anglers  pin  their  faith  to  the 
entire  practice  of  either  one  or  the  other  plan,  and  argue  dry 
versus  wet,  just  as  they  do  up-stream  versus  down,  when  all  are 
right  at  times,  and  per  contra,  all  wrong  at  times.  It  requires 
the  reasoning  faculties  to  be  used  to  know  these  times  and  their 
application.  As  a  rule  rough  weather  is  the  more  favourable  to 
a  sunk  or  wet  fly,  while  bright  and  calm  weather  favours  the 
dry  one.  Indeed,  if  there  be  much  ripple  on,  a  dry  fly  can 
hardly  be  maintained. 

It  often  happens  that  a  fish  will  lie  in  some  hole  or  corner 
under  overhanging  bushes,  where  it  would  be  impossible  for 
the  angler  to  put  the  fly  over  the  fish  by  casting  it  directly  to 
him  ;    but  let  him  not  be  discouraged  and  pass  the  fish  by. 

*  Since  this  was  written  dry-fly  fishing  has  become  practically  the  ex- 
clusive method  on  chalk  streams,  and  is  frequently  practised  on  northern 
waters  only.  The  fly  is  usually  anointed  with  paraffin  from  a  phial  attached 
to  a  button  of  the  angler's  coat  ;  but  a  far  more  convenient  plan  is  to  anoint 
the  flies  before  going  out.  The  oil  dries  very  quicklj'-  on  them  and  the  flies 
remain  permanently  waterproof. — Ed. 


STALKING  TROUT  129 

A  trout  usually  rests  where  the  hang  and  eddy  of  the  stream 
will  give  him  the  best  chance  of  the  greatest  amount  of 
provender  with  the  least  amount  of  trouble,  and  very  often  the 
angler  will  see,  by  carefully  studying  the  spot,  that  by  pitching 
a  fly  (dry  perhaps  is  best)  well  above  the  fish,  and  letting  the 
stream  take  it  where  it  will,  the  eddy  will  do  for  it  what  the 
angler  could  not,  and  will  at  any  rate  bring  it  within  sight. 
A  fly  thus  brought  to  a  fish  is  almost  certain  to  be  taken, 
provided  you  do  nothing  glaringly  wrong,  because,  in  the  first 
place,  the  fish  usually  takes  every  fly  that  comes,  and,  secondly, 
he  seldom  or  never  sees  an  artificial  fly  in  that  spot.  I  know  of 
nothing  so  agreeable  in  fly-fishing  as  the  outwitting  one  of  these 
cunning  old  stay-at-homes,  who,  having  gotten  to  themselves 
good  fat  places — archidiaconal  stalls,  with  only  archidiaconal 
functions  attached  to  them — fancy  they  have  a  vested  interest 
in  them,  and  that  they  are  to  be  safe  sinecures  for  ever.  I  once 
took  five  such  fish  in  one  morning  on  the  Arrow,  and  they  were 
all  extra  good  fish,  and  not  one  of  them  would  many  anglers 
have  thought  it  worth  while  trying  for.  It  was  a  bit  of  fishing 
which  I  have  always  felt  rather  proud  of.  Indeed,  nineteen 
times  in  twenty,  a  fish  feeding  in  his  lair  or  under  a  branch  will 
rise  and  take  better  than  a  fish  in  the  open  water  in  mid-stream. 
It  is  quite  needless  to  say  that  the  angler  should  avoid 
showing  himself  to  the  fish  as  much  as  possible,  and  should 
always  take  advantage  of  any  bush  or  tree  which  may  easily 
afford  him  a  screen  ;  when  the  banks  are  too  open  to  the  river, 
he  should  even  go  down  upon  one  knee — nay,  I  have  known 
good  service  done  by  an  angler  lying  prone  upon  his  stomach. 
In  many  places  and  streams  it  is  quite  impossible  for  anyone 
to  approach  within  casting  distance  of  the  stream  in  an  erect 
position  without  seeing  every  trout  for  some  distance  rushing 
off  to  his  hiding-place.  In  places  of  this  description,  the  angler 
will  find  much  service  in  sticking  a  loose  bush  or  two  into  the 
ground  in  a  favourable  spot,  should  he  design  to  come  there 
again  the  next  day  ;  and  he  should  always  bear  this  in  mind, 
that  the  higher  up  in  the  air  he  is  the  more  likely  the  trout  is  to 
see  him.  Shy  fish  will  often  take  alarm  at  the  angler  as  he 
comes  along  the  bank,  even  while  he  is  twenty  or  thirty  yards 
away  ;  but  if  he  could  get  down  on  a  level  with  the  water,  with 
the  bank  at  his  back,  so  that  his  head  did  not  appear  above  the 
sky  line,  they  would  not  appear  to  see  him  at  all,  and  would 
take  the  fly  without  hesitation,  provided  no  sudden  or  violent 
motion  were  made  to  attract  attention.    Height,  therefore,  is 


130  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

not  an  advantage,  and  wading  up-stream  (provided  no  disturb- 
ance be  made  in  the  water)  is. 

With  regard  to  dress,  some  people  are  incHned  to  ridicule 
the  idea  of  there  being  any  necessity  for  attending  to  it  at  all. 
I  am  very  sure,  however,  that  excellent  grounds  exist  for 
not  being  too  conspicuous  in  this  respect.  The  trout  is  a  very 
gentlemanly  fish,  and  does  not  like  loud  dressing  ;  positive 
black  and  white,  too,  or  anything  which  glitters  or  is  unusual, 
should  be  carefully  eschewed,  particularly  on  the  upper  and 
more  conspicuous  part  of  the  person.  A  tall  black  hat,  or  one 
of  the  genus  called  "  shiner  "  I  do  not  recommend  ;  and 
though  I  would  rather  fish  in  the  Bishop  of  Winchester's  stream 
than  in  his  lordship's  company  when  in  full  canonicals,  I  should 
equally  consider  Mr.  Chadband  in  his  cerements  an  objection- 
able party  for  successful  t routing  on  a  shy  or  well-fished  stream; 
while  a  stage  coachman  in  a  white  top-coat  and  shiny  hat  would 
be  fully  as  unacceptable.  I  even  dislike  a  highly  varnished 
rod.  Who  has  not  seen  the  flash  of  a  rod  waving  in  the  air 
when  half  a  mile  distant  ?  and  surely  so  unusual  and  startHng 
a  phenomenon  cannot  but  be  calculated  to  disturb  the 
equanimity  of  so  sharp-eyed  a  creature  as  the  trout.  The 
angler  must  not  always  consider,  because  the  spot  where  a  trout 
lies  is  apparently  out  of  the  direct  range  of  his  vision,  that  there- 
fore he  is  invisible  to  the  trout ;  because,  owing  to  the  refrac- 
tion of  the  rays  of  hght  consequent  on  their  passing  from  the 
rarer  medium  of  air  into  the  denser  medium  of  water,  the  direct 
line  of  vision  becomes  broken  on  reaching  the  water,  and  takes 
a  much  more  perpendicular  direction.  The  reader  will  under- 
stand this  by  placing  a  coin  in  an  empty  pan,  so  far  out  of  the 
line  of  sight  as  to  be  hidden  by  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and  then 
filling  the  pan  with  water,  when  the  coin  previously  hidden  will 
be  plainly  visible.  The  same  thing  of  course  takes  place 
inversely  with  respect  to  the  fish  seeing  the  fisher,  with  this 
remarkable  difference,  that  the  fine  is  still  farther  diverted 
from  the  direct  line  of  vision,  and  therefore  the  fish  can  see  at  a 
greater  angle  of  divergence  than  the  fisherman,  and  conse- 
quently a  fish  lying  under  a  bank  between  the  angler  and 
himself  can  often  see  his  enemy,  when  by  no  possibiUty  could 
the  angler  see  him. 

It  is  as  well  that  the  angler  should  bear  this  little  bit  of 
science  in  mind,  as  it  will  often  account  for  a  fish  not  rising, 
when  every  other  reason  fails.  Owing  to  this  peculiarity,  a  fish 
can  to  a  certain  extent  see  behind  him  as  it  were,  and  can  take 


NIGHT-FISHING  131 

in  a  much  wider  scope  of  objects  than  a  cursory  consideration 
would  give  him  credit  for,  and  the  more  so  as  his  eye  is 
pecuHarly  adapted  to  his  element  in  this  respect,  as  affording 
him  increased  facilities  for  seeing  his  way  to  a  living  in  the 
world.  The  organ  of  sight  is  the  chief  one  upon  which  fish  rely, 
and  is  much  more  keenly  developed  than  any  other.  Feeling  is 
probably  the  next  sense  in  proportionate  development,  as  the 
nervous  organisation  of  fish  is  usually  rather  full  and  perfect, 
and  the  slightest  vibration  in  the  water  is  felt  by  them  appar- 
ently instantaneously.  Taste  and  smell  are  no  doubt  also 
tolerably  acute,  but  I  do  not  think  hearing  is  of  so  much 
consequence  to  them  as  some  of  the  other  senses  ;  though  the 
angler  will  not  find  a  loud  or  unusual  noise  in  any  way  advan- 
tageous to  him. 

The  size  of  flies  to  be  used  must  be  regarded  by  the  water  to 
be  fished  to  some  extent,  but  it  is  as  common  a  fault  to  fish 
with  too  small  flies  as  it  is  to  use  too  large  ones.  On  very  well 
preserved  and  much-fished  streams,  as  the  Wandle,  for  example, 
very  small  flies  are  the  favourite  cast,  but  I  have  often  seen  a 
coarser  one,  with  larger  flies,  beat  it  hollow  ;  particularly  if  a 
little  wind  prevails.  The  angler  should,  if  he  finds  his  small 
flies  useless,  try  a  size  or  two  larger,  and  sink  them  a  few  inches. 

I  will  now  give  a  few  simple  and  useful  directions  as  to  night- 
fishing,  but  I  may  premise  that  I  wish  night-fishing  were 
generally  abandoned,  for  I  beheve  it  materially  injures  the  day- 
fishing,  by  rendering  the  fish  much  more  shy  than  they  would 
naturally  be  if  only  fished  for  in  the  day-time.  There  ought  to 
be  some  period  during  the  twenty-four  hours  when  the  trout 
can  feed  safely  without  disturbance  or  the  fear  of  a  hook  before 
them ;  but  as  fly-fishing  is  now  conducted  there  is  not ;  and 
this  naturally  makes  the  fish  suspicious  of  every  lure,  while  big 
trout  get  so  shy  that  they  seldom,  in  small  streams,  get  into 
really  good  condition  at  all.  Unfortunately  where  night- 
fishing  has  been  practised  it  is  useless,  after  June,  to  fish  until 
late  in  the  evening,  unless  in  very  favourable  weather  indeed. 

For  night-fishing,  the  fewer  flies  the  angler  uses  the  better. 
He  should  never  use  more  than  two  under  any  circumstances, 
and  even  one  is  better,  as  the  slightest  hitch  or  tangle,  which 
in  the  dayhght  would  be  of  no  consequence,  becomes  fatal  in  the 
dark.  It  is  desirable  always  to  put  up  two  casts,  a  spare  one 
for  a  change  being  round  the  hat.  These  casts  need  not  be  long, 
a  yard  and  a  half  of  gut  for  one  fly,  and  two  yards  for  two,  is 
quite  long  enough  ;   any  gut  does,  and  it  is  as  well  to  use  it 


132  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

reasonably  stout  and  coarse,  as  very  little  play  or  law  should 
be  given  to  the  fish  at  night,  as  the  angler  cannot  see  obstruc- 
tions. If  a  change  of  flies  be  desired,  let  them  be  so  placed  on 
the  angler's  hat  that  he  can  with  certainty  pick  out  the  iiy  he 
requires  without  the  necessity  for  examining  it ;  and  as  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  undo  loops  in  the  dark,  the  fly  should 
be  dressed  on  a  plain  strand  of  gut,  and  the  end  of  the  casting- 
line  left  unlooped,  so  that  the  fly  can  be  knotted  on  at  once, 
this  being  a  process  which  you  manage  pretty  well  by  feeling. 
When  the  fly  is  to  come  off  it  must  be  broken  off,  and  the  fresh 
one  tied  on  in  its  place. 

As  I  have  said,  always  fish  with  a  tight  line,  that  is,  rather 
down-stream  in  the  dark.  If  the  angler  fishes  up-stream  there 
is  every  chance  of  a  slack  line,  when  he  will  not  feel  the  rise. 
All  must  be  done  by  feehng ;  for  though  occasionally,  if  the 
fish  takes  boldly,  a  rise  may  be  seen,  it  generally  happens  that 
the  best  rises,  or  rather  those  of  the  best  fish,  are  very  un- 
obtrusive affairs,  and  the  notice  given  to  the  rod  point  is  so 
slight  that  the  angler  may,  if  he  fancies  it  is  the  touch  of  a  fish 
at  all,  set  it  down  to  some  trumpery  three-ounce  flibbertigibbet 
instead  of  that  noble  three-pounder  he  gazed  at  for  an  hour  off 
the  bridge,  with  such  a  desire  for  a  nearer  acquaintance.  Fish, 
therefore,  rather  across,  and  let  the  fine  go  steadily  down  until 
it  is  extended,  striking  at  every  touch.  Good  large  flies  are 
usually  required  at  night,  though  this  is  not  always  the  case, 
if  a  strong  rise  of  some  smaU  insect  be  on  ;  but  more  often  than 
not,  one  of  the  moths  or  the  alder,  cinnamon,  sedge,  or  some 
good  sized  fly  will  be  used,  and  as  the  hook  will  be  a  largish  one, 
a  firm  stroke  and  a  sharp  course  of  treatment  are  desirable,  as 
the  less  "  bobbery  "  made,  and  the  less  time  wasted,  the 
better.  Pop  them  into  the  basket ;  and  though  I  advise  no 
hurry,  yet  let  no  time  be  wasted.  If  the  angler  has  any  doubt 
about  the  state  of  his  flies,  he  should  never  fish  a  moment  in 
doubt,  but  run  the  cast  through  his  hand.  A  short  cast  is  the 
best ;  too  long  a  fine  is  unmanageable  and  uncertain  at  night, 
and  there  is  no  need  for  it,  as  the  fish  will,  if  you  conduct  your- 
self quietly,  rise  close  to  you — indeed,  I  have  often,  when 
wading,  seen  them  rise  within  a  yard  or  so  of  my  legs.  The  fish 
which  are  most  likely  to  take  well  are  those  which  get  in  close 
under  the  banks.  They  are  old  soldiers,  and  pick  a  bellyful  of 
insects  almost  off  the  long  grass,  scarcely  rising  at  all ;  while 
the  fish  which  rise  in  the  mid-stream  and  make  such  a  pother 
are  for  the  most  part  but  middling  or  little  ones,    Fish  the 


NIGHT-FISHING  133 

banks,  therefore,  carefully,  for  even  if  you  do  not  see  or  hear  a 
rise  anywhere,  there  is  always  hope  under  the  bank.  At  night, 
a  fly  drawn  against  the  stream  will  be  taken  almost  as  readily 
as  one  floating  down — which  of  course  is  not  the  case  by  day. 
It  is  seldom  so  dark  but  that  the  angler  can  see  a  Uttle  ;  and, 
although  he  will  not  detect  perhaps  the  exact  rise,  yet  he  will 
see  a  shght  ripple,  which  will  be  sufficient  to  guide  his  fly  to  the 
right  spot.  If,  however,  he  cannot  see  the  rise,  let  him  listen 
carefully,  and  now  and  then  he  will  hear  a  faint  tinkle  like  the 
falling  of  a  big  water-drop  ;  that  is  the  rise  of  a  trout,  and  his 
ear  must  then  guide  him  to  the  right  spot.  He  will  often  hear 
a  "  suck,"  like  a  slobbery  kiss  ;  that  is  not  a  trout  feeding  but 
an  eel.  How  to  get  the  exact  distance  of  line  required  I  cannot 
lay  down  any  rule  for,  but  judgment  and  practice  alone  will 
help  him.  One  thing  it  is  very  advisable  not  to  do,  and  that  is, 
when  he  has  got  out  a  length  of  hne  which  he  works  well,  to 
lengthen  or  shorten  it.  In  some  places  now  they  go  to  the 
length  of  fishing  with  a  dry  fly  at  night-time.  This,  I  confess, 
evidences  a  civilisation  and  progress  on  the  part  of  the  trout 
which  I  cannot  understand  at  all. 


CHAPTER  VI 

ARTIFICIAL    FLIES 

Contrast  of  Systems — Copying  Nature  and  Cop3dng  Nothing— List  of  Flies 

for  each  Month. 

BEFORE  entering  upon  the  description  of  the  neces- 
sary flies  for  the  angler's  use,  I  shall  give  a  reference 
to  the  numbers  of  the  flies  in  Plate  VIII ;  as  in  my 
first  edition  some  difficulty  was  experienced  by  anglers 
and  tackle  makers  in  the  way  of  identifying  each  fly. 

1.  Is  the  Green  Drake  or  May  Fly  (p.  i6i). 

2.  The  Grey  Drake  or  transformation  of  the  Green  Drake 
(p.  i66). 

3.  The  March  Brown  or  Cob  Fly  of  Wales  (p.  146). 

4 .  The  Blue  Dun,  known  by  a  great  variety  of  names,  given  in 
its  description  (p.  143). 

5.  The   Red   Spinner,   the   transformation   of  the   Blue   Dun 
(p.  144). 

6.  The  Yellow  Dun  (p.  151). 

7.  The  Iron  Blue  Dun  (p.  152). 

8.  The  Evening  Dun  (p.  160). 

9.  The  Little  Blue  Dun,  Sky  Blue,  etc.  (p.  160). 

10.  The  August  Dun  (p.  172). 

11.  The  Stone  Fly  (p.  158). 

12.  The  February  Red,  Red  Fly  (p.  143). 

13.  The  Willow  Fly  (p.  174). 

14.  The  Sand  Fly  (p.  157). 

15.  The  Alder  or  Orl  Fl>  (p.  160). 

16.  The  Cinnamon  (p.  173). 

17.  The  Gravel  Bed,  Spider  Fly,  etc.  (p.  156). 

18.  The  Hawthorn  Fly  (p.  156). 

19.  The  Silver  Horns  (p.  172). 

20.  The  Coch  v  bondu,  etc.  (p.  167). 

21.  The  Fern  Fly,  Soldier  Fly,  etc.  (p.  167). 

22.  The  Wren  Tail,  Brown  Bent,  etc.  (p.  170). 

In  giving  a  hst  of  artificial  flies  I  shall  as  much  as  possible 
eschew  all  flies  which  I  do  not  know  from  experience  to  be 

134 


PI, ATE  vni. 


y^_/,„.  /',,,;.  /,-y. 


Natural  Trout  Flies. 


I 


REALISM  V.  IDEALISM  135 

useful  to  the  angler.  There  are  scores  of  flies  which  are  set 
down  in  Usts,  and  which  are  perpetuated  from  list  to  Ust, 
being  copied  from  one  to  the  other — like  the  celebrated 
"  Hampstead  Eye  "  butterfly,  of  which  there  is  only  a  legend 
of  a  solitary  specimen — but  which  are  by  no  means  to  be 
generally  relied  upon.  Such  flies  I  shall  have  nothing  to  do 
with. 

There  are  two  conflicting  systems,  in  support  of  which  we 
find  warm  partisans  and  good  anglers  on  either  side,  viz.  the 
entomological  and  what  may  be  termed  the  colorological 
system,  or  those  who  study  and  imitate  nature  as  closely  as 
I)ossible  and  those  who  say  "  the  day  is  bright  and  the  water 
clear,  or  the  day  is  cloudy  and  the  water  coloured,  and  there- 
fore such  and  such  colours  ought  to  kill."  I  shall  touch  upon 
their  respective  merits  and  claims.  Throughout  the  kingdom 
thousands  of  trout  flies  are  in  use,  and  almost  any  fly  or  insect 
which  can  fall  upon  the  water  will  at  times,  if  it  be  httle  fished, 
be  taken  by  the  trout.  On  the  other  hand,  the  reverse  of  this 
is  more  often  true,  and  the  trout  are  picksome  and  hard  to 
please.  It  will  often,  too,  occur,  when  trout  are  feeding  strongly 
upon  a  particular  fly,  that  they  will  take  something  entirely 
different  in  preference  to  a  bad  imitation  of  the  insect  they  are 
feeding  on,  or  even  a  fair  imitation  put  over  them  in  a  some- 
what different  way  from  those  which  are  passing  over  them, 
because  the  one  does  not  challenge  comparison  while  the  other 
does,  from  which  the  colorologists  argue  that  it  is  not  necessary 
to  trouble  your  head  with  considerations  of  what  is  on  the 
water.  But  there  are  times,  again,  when  the  fish  will  be  rising 
furiously,  and  the  angler  may  exhaust  his  tackle  book  over 
them  without  getting  a  rise  if  he  has  not  the  exact  fly.  I  could 
cite  hundreds  of  instances  of  this.  I  mention  only  one,  the  most 
recent  I  can  call  to  mind. 

Last  season  I  was  fishing  the  Itchin,  at  Bishopstoke  ;  it  was 
getting  towards  dusk,  the  fish  came  on  to  rise  very  rapidly,  fly 
after  fly  did  I  try,  in  the  very  thickest  of  the  boils,  covering 
:  half  a  dozen  fish  at  every  cast ;  every  likely  fly  I  could  think  of 
was  tried  and  rejected,  and  not  a  single  rise  could  I  get  ;  the 
fly  they  were  rising  at  was  a  very  small  one,  but,  small  as  it  was, 
they  knew  perfectly  well  the  difference  between  it  and  others 
of  the  same  size,  even  though  it  was  evening.  By  great 
difficulty  I  got  one  of  the  flies,  and  saw  it  was  a  red  spinner. 
I  was  able  to  find  a  red  spinner  without  much  trouble,  and  in 
less  than  twenty  minutes  I  had  two  and  a  half  brace  of  fine  fish, 


136  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

when  the  rise  was  over.  The  general  principles  so  much 
favoured  by  our  friends  in  the  north,  in  their  selection  of  flies, 
would  have  been  utterly  useless  here.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a 
general  selection  of  a  dozen  flies  (upon  the  principles  advocated 
by  the  author  of  The  Practical  Angler,  Mr.  Stewart)  for  the 
entire  season,  makes  very  easy  work  of  it,  and  the  angler  is  not 
much  puzzled  as  to  selection.  Such  a  system  may  suit  the 
northern  rivers,  but,  upon  our  well-whipped  southern  streams, 
where  the  trout  are  exceedingly  wary  and  well-educated,  the 
fish  like  a  little  more  attention  paid  to  their  fancies  ;  and  we 
are  obliged,  too,  to  pay  that  attention,  because  we  have  not 
generally  those  resources  in  minnow,  worm,  and  larva  fishing 
to  fall  back  upon,  when  we  fail  with  the  fly,  which  our  brothers 
over  the  border  practise,  for  upon  our  best  streams  they  are  not 
allowed,  and  we  are  restricted  to  artificial  fly-fishing.  I  do  not 
doubt  for  one  moment  that  Mr.  Stewart's  flies — I  select  Mr. 
Stewart,  not  as  the  originator  perhaps,  but  as  the  exponent  of  a 
system — I  say  I.  do  not  doubt  that  Mr.  Stewart's  flies  kill  well 
at  times,  because  the  best  of  them  very  strongly  resemble  some 
of  the  best  flies  that  are  found  on  pretty  well  every  river  in  the 
kingdom  as  duns,  spinners,  midges,  and  those  very  general 
favourites,  the  sand  and  cinnamon  flies.  Then  Mr.  Stewart  has 
two  imitations,  called  the  red  and  black  spider,  and  there  are 
two  water  insects,  a  red  and  black  spider,  which  I  have 
often  caught  in  my  entomological  wanderings,  which  are 
widely  distributed,  and  which  these  imitations  also  resemble. 
Now,  I  apprehend  that  it  is  only  because  these  combinations  of 
fur  and  feather  in  some  sort  resemble  the  flies  which  the  fish  are 
in  the  habit  of  seeing  on  the  water,  that  the  fish  take  them  at 
all.  This  must  be  conceded  ;  if  it  be  not,  why  does  the  fly- 
fisher  adhere  to  the  form,  colour,  and  size  of  those  flies  at  all  ? 
Why  have  they  wings  and  legs  and  bodies  like  flies  ?  Why  are 
they  of  the  same  size  ?  Why  does  he  not  fish  with  a  bunch  of 
feathers  of  any  colour,  and  tied  on  anyhow  ?  Why  should  he 
have  any  choice  in  the  matter  ?  Why  even  have  a  dozen  flies  ? 
and  why  should  one  kill  one  day  and  not  another  ?  It  is  clear 
that  he  has  a  choice  and  a  variety  because  the  fish  have,  and 
he  finds  it  necessary  to  "  pander  to  their  base  tastes  and 
fancies  "  to  some  extent.  His  art  is  unquestionably  a  decep- 
tion, and  he  must  allow  that  he  is  deceiving  the  fish  with 
the  imitation  of  a  fly.  Then  I  do  not  see  how  he  can  get  out  of 
the  sequence  that  the  better  the  imitation  the  more  likely  it  is 
to  deceive,  and  if  he  is  obliged  to  consult  the  fishes'  tastes  at  all, 


"|WHAT  FLY  IS  UP  ?  "  137 

the  more  sedulously  he  consults  them  the  more  Ukely  he  is  to 
please  them,  and  this  is  all  that  we  Southerns  do.  This  is  a 
position  which  I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  to  upset.  Nor  do  I 
see  what  can  be  said  beyond  it.  If  it  be  urged  that  colorology 
is  easier,  demands  less  study,  consideration,  or  variety,  that 
appears  to  me  to  be  a  lazy  argument,  apphcable  to  every 
science,  and  cuts  away  one  of  the  most  interesting  branches 
of  the  fisher's  amusement.  The  trout  in  the  north  are  more 
plentiful  than  they  are  in  our  streams  in  the  south.  The 
season  for  feeding  is  much  shorter.  The  rivers  for  the  most 
part  do  not  so  abound  in  food  as  ours,  often  flowing  as  they 
do  over  hard  gravel  and  rocky  beds  and  through  barren  moor- 
land districts,  and  the  fish  have  harder  work  to  pick  up  a  living, 
and  are  therefore  possibly  less  inclined  to  be  closely  critical 
when  they  are  feeding,  and  if  the  fly  be  somewhat  near  the 
colour  and  size  they  cannot  afford  to  reject  it.  A  Scotchman 
measures  his  takes  by  dozens,  we  by  braces  ;  and  it  is  more 
difficult  to  take  the  brace  upon  one  of  our  well-thrashed 
streams,  than  it  is  the  dozen  on  the  other  side  of  the  border, 
and  consequently  we  are  obhged  to  be  more  careful  in  our 
deceptions,  and  to  watch  nature  more  closely. 

Our  system  is,  however,  little  by  Uttle  creeping  north.  On 
Tweed  a  considerable  advance  has  been  made  of  late  years 
towards  the  studying  of  the  fly  that  is  "  up,"  and  the  imitation 
thereof ;  and  one  hears  now  amongst  the  best  anglers  there, 
of  blue  and  yellow  duns,  March  browns,  willow  flies,  and 
several  other  names  for  flies,  many  of  which  are  perhaps  local, 
but  which  nevertheless  indicate  the  flies  actually  on  the  water. 
"  What  fly  is  up  ?  "  is  becoming  nearly  as  common  a  question 
as  it  is  "  down  south  ;  "  and  if  anghng  progresses  steadily 
in  the  way  it  is  doing,  many  a  stream  where  no  study  is  now 
paid  to  what  may  be  on  the  water  will,  in  a  few  years,  if  fish 
are  to  be  killed,  call  for  a  much  closer  attention  to  this  peculi- 
arity than  is  at  present  exercised.  One  thing  I  can  certainly 
say,  viz.  that  by  following  the  system  I  advocate,  of  study- 
ing nature  as  closely  as  possible,  I  have  never  come  upon  a 
stream  in  the  kingdom  (and  I  have  fished  much  the  greater 
part  of  it,  where  the  colorological  practice  prevails),  on  which, 
after  a  sufficient  acquaintance  to  make  me  tolerably  familiar 
with  the  water,  I  could  not,  with  my  southern  book  of  imita- 
tions, kill  trout  quite  as  well  and  often  better  than  many  of 
the  habitues  of  the  water  could  with  their  piscatory  heirlooms 
and  rehcs.    This,  however,  does  not  apply  to  all  lakes.     On 


138  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

many  of  these,  whether  it  be  owing  to  the  depth  of  water  or 
what  not,  fancy  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the  trouts'  notions, 
though  on  others  I  have  found  entomology  exceedingly  suc- 
cessful. Of  course  here  and  there  one  meets  some  old  fellow 
who  knows  every  stone  and  eddy,  and  whose  local  knowledge 
must  give  him  a  great  advantage  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  I  have 
always  found  a  close  imitation  of  the  natural  fly  to  do  better 
than  all  the  blacks,  or  browns,  or  reds,  or  blues,  or  hare-lugs, 
and  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow,  which  the  Celtic  practitioner 
regards  as  sacred  traditions.  I  never  wanted  yet  to  ask  what 
fly  was  taking,  if  there  were  any  fly  at  all  on,  knowing  at  a 
glance,  from  experience,  pretty  well  what  the  fly  was  ;  for  a 
blue  dun,  or  a  yellow  dun,  or  red  spinner,  or  a  March  brown, 
are  the  same  flies,  and  should  be  dressed  in  the  same  way  on 
the  north  of  Tweed  as  on  the  south. 

Although  there  are  many  kinds  of  flies  which  do  kill,  the 
chief  ones  which  the  angler  must  rely  upon  are  those  which 
are  best  known  to  the  trout,  and  these  are  the  flies  bom  of 
the  water,  or  which  from  their  habits  and  location  are  most 
likely  to  be  blown  on  to  it.  Of  these,  though  there  are  a  con- 
siderable number  in  the  aggregate,  yet  the  best  of  them,  and 
those  which  are  most  abundant,  are  found  on  every  stream, 
and  are,  as  I  have  said,  the  same  on  all  of  them,  and  they  are 
not  so  numerous  but  that  any  angler  may  with  a  little  trouble 
become  tolerably  well  acquainted  with  them.  Of  course 
there  are  partial  and  local  exceptions — flies  which  are  found 
in  some  waters  and  not  in  others — ^but  even  these  he  will 
become  acquainted  with  in  time.  Do  not  listen  therefore, 
dearly  beloved  pupil,  to  delusive  talk  of  hares'  ears  and  yellow, 
or  hare's  ear  and  purple,  or  green,  or  what  not,  or  bloas  of  all 
sorts  of  shades,  or  fancy  flies  of  endless  hue.  Some  of  these 
certainly  kill,  but  it  is  rather  a  fluke  if  they  do,  while  the  odds 
are  that  they  don't.  I  will  give  a  list  of  the  best  of  them, 
firstly,  because,  as  I  said,  they  do  kill  sometimes,  and,  secondly, 
because  my  book  would  certainly  be  held  incomplete  by  many 
anglers  without  it ;  but  always  first  try  the  fly  that  is  on, 
or  has  been  on,  or  which  you  think  ought  to  be  on,  before  you 
venture  upon  these  fancies,  and  be  sure  that,  wherever  you 
go,  you  will  find  your  March  browns,  stone  flies  and  drakes,  or 
your  willow  flies,  alders,  sand  flies  and  cinnamons,  your  duns 
and  spinners,  etc.,  feeding  the  trout  more  or  less.  These  are 
your  ground-tackle,  your  holdfast,  and  if  you  once  master 
enough  of  a  fly-fisher's  entomology  to  get  a  fair  knowledge 


THE  PRINCIPAL  TROUT  FLIES  139 

of  the  ordinary  succession  of  flies  which  usually  throng  the 
water  in  the  generality  of  rivers,  you  need  not  venture  upon 
the  uncertain  realms  of  fancy  at  all — you  may  go  anywhere, 
east,  west,  north  or  south,  and  never  trouble  a  professional 
to  tell  you  what  is  on  his  water,  or  what  will  kill  best,  for  you 
will  know  what  flies  should  be  in  season,  and  if  you  have  any 
doubt,  a  glance  will  tell  you. 

The  following  list  is  partly  the  result  of  my  own  experience, 
and  partly  that  of  others.  The  flies  fed  on  by  trout  have 
been  the  same  from  all  ages,  unless  we  pin  our  faith  on  The 
Vestiges  of  Creation,  and  therefore  one  has  nothing  to  do 
but  to  take  them  from  those  who  have  gone  before,  selecting 
the  best  favoured  by  the  fish,  and  leaving  the  worst,  and  to 
make  such  suggestions  on  dressing  them,  etc.,  as  experience 
may  dictate. 

The  principal  flies  which,  as  I  have  said,  the  angler  rehes 
upon,  are  those  bom  of  the  water.  The  most  useful  of  these 
are  divided  into  two  great  orders,  viz.  the  Neuroptera,  or 
nerve-winged  (from  pevpov,  a  nerve,  and  irrepov,  a  wing — 
these  are  the  flies  which  have  smooth  wings,  veined  to  and 
fro  like  the  drakes,  the  stone  and  the  alder  flies),  and  the 
Trichoptera,  or  hairy-winged  (from  Opl^,  gen.  rpixo?,  hair, 
and  irrepov,  a  wing).*  Among  these  are  our  sand  flies,  cinna- 
mons, mushroom  flies,  silver  horns,  etc.  There  is  an  enormous 
variety  of  these  flies,  something  Uke  two  hundred  British 
species  having  been  discovered.  The  wings  are  soft,  and 
somewhat  in  appearance  hke  those  of  moths.  They  are  not 
upright,  like  those  of  the  drakes  and  duns,  nor  flat  like  those 
of  the  stone  and  willow  flies,  but  come  up  to  an  angle,  like 
the  roof  of  a  house  somewhat  ;  as  it  is  termed,  they  are 
deflected.  These  two  orders  are  subdivided.  Among  the 
Neuroptera  are  the  Ephemeridae,  as  the  May  flies,  duns,  and 
spinners  ;  the  PerUdae,  as  the  stone  and  willow  flies  ;  and 
e  Sialidae,  of  which  we  have  but  one  sample,  though  that 
a  host  in  itself,  viz.  the  alder  fly.  The  Trichoptera,  used  for 
e  most  part,  include  only  the  family  of  Phryganidae,  if  we 
except  the  silver  horns. 

The  other  orders  in  most  use  by  the  fly-fisher  are,  the 
Coleoptera,  or  sheath-winged  (from  KoXeog,  a  sheath),  insects 
having  two  pairs  of  wings,  the  upper  of  which  are  hard  and 
horny,  and  are  called  elytra,  and  form  the  sheath  for  the 


I 


*  In  modem  classification  the  Trichaptera  are  placed  as  a  family  of  the 
order  Neuroptera. — Ed. 


140  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

under  ones,  when  at  rest,  as  the  coch  y  bondu  or  Marlow 
buzz,  the  fern  fly,  the  peacock,  and  others  ;  and  the  Diptera, 
or  two-winged  (from  Svo,  two),  as  the  cow-dung,  hawthorn, 
black  gnat,  gravel  bed,  etc.  The  majority  of  the  insects  used 
in  the  two  last  orders,  however,  are  land  insects. 

The  two  families  upon  which  the  main  hopes  of  the  angler 
rest,  are  the  Ephemeridae  and  the  Phryganidse,  since  some  of 
the  species  of  one  or  the  other,  or  both  of  these  families,  are 
sure  to  be  on  the  water  if  any  fly  at  all  is.  As  much  confusion 
prevails  amongst  anglers  as  to  their  history,  it  may  not  be 
out  of  place  here  to  devote  a  few  lines  to  it.  An  error  which 
still  largely  prevails  amongst  fishermen  is,  that  the  May  flies 
or  drakes  come  from  the  caddis,  or  case  grubs,  found  in  abun- 
dance in  many  waters  at  the  bottom ;  and  according  to  the 
plenty  or  scarcity  of  these,  so  they  estimate  the  plenty  or 
scarcity  of  the  May  fly,  in  the  season.  This  is  a  great  mistake, 
as  the  caddis  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  Ephemeridae ; 
it  is  the  home  of  the  Phryganidae  exclusively,  and  their  plenty 
will  determine  the  abundance  of  sand,  grannom,  sedge,  cinna- 
mon, and  other  flies  of  that  class. 

To  trace  the  Ephemeridae  through  their  various  transfor- 
mations, we  will  commence  with  the  egg,  which  is  dropped  on 
the  water  by  the  imago,  or  perfect  fly,  and  which  finds  its  way 
to  the  bottom,  where  it  awaits  the  period  of  hatching.  When 
hatched,  it  becomes  a  very  active  predaceous  larva  (the  word 
larva  signifying  a  mask,*  as  in  this  form  it  is  the  mask  of  the 
perfect  insect),  with  six  legs,  and  extremely  strong  hook- 
shaped  mandibles,  the  tail  having  three  whisks,  which  are  the 
rudiments  of  the  tail  of  the  imago.  Along  the  sides  of  the 
larva  is  a  series  of  small  filamentary  appendages,  serving  as 
fins,  and  by  the  aid  of  which  the  creature  is  supposed  to 
breathe  under  water ;  these  are  somewhat  akin  to  the  fila- 
ments or  fringes  of  which  the  gills  of  fishes  are  composed,  and 
extract  from  the  water  in  a  similar  manner  the  oxygen  necessary 
for  the  larva's  existence.  Another  error  of  anglers  is  thus 
disposed  of,  viz.  that  owing  to  spring  floods,  the  larvae  of 
the  May  fly  have  been  drowned  when  there  is  a  bad  fly  year. 
The  process  of  drowning  an  insect  which  lives  in  the  water 

*  While  it  has  been  ascertained  that  the  larvse  of  some  of  the  Ephemeridae 
feed  upon  small  forms  of  animal  life,  all  authorities,  from  Swammerdum  and 
Pictet  down  to  our  own  time,  seem  agreed  that  the  larva  of  the  British  May  fiy 
{Ephemera  danica)  so  far  from  being  actively  predaceous,  subsists  entirely 
by  swallowing  mud,  and  derives  nutriment  from  such  particles  of  organic 
matter,  animal  or  vegetable,  as  it  may  contain. — Ed. 


EPHEMERID.E  AND  PHRYGANIDiE  141 

must  be  an  uncommon  one,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  These 
larvae  make  themselves  holes  in  the  bed  or  banks  of  the  river, 
or  reside  under  stones,  etc.,  so  as  to  be  safe  from  the  attacks 
of  the  many  animals  which  prey  on  them.  After  a  time, 
the  larva  changes  into  a  pupa  (the  word  pupa  signifying  a 
puppet,  or  doll,  from  the  swathed  and  swaddled  appearance 
of  the  grub,  with  its  wings,  etc.,  bandaged  about  as  it  were)  ; 
the  change  in  form  is  slight,  but  an  important  change  has, 
nevertheless,  taken  place.  Hitherto  the  creature  has  possessed 
no  sign  of  wings  ;  changing  into  the  pupa  state,  it  throws 
off  its  skin,  and  another  one  is  developed,  and  on  the  shoulders 
are  seen  twa  excrescences,  which  are  the  rudiments  of  the 
future  wings.  The  pupa  is  also  larger  than  the  larva.  The 
time  which  the  larva  and  pupa  dwell  under  water  varies  in 
the  different  species  from  one  to  three  years,  it  is  supposed. 
At  length,  however,  the  insect  approaches  to  the  change 
into  the  fly  state,  when  it  rises  to  the  surface,  or  creeps  to 
the  bank,  and  there,  sphtting  off  another  case,  at  once  emerges 
a  fly.  But  even  now  it  is  not  a  perfect  insect,  and  is  incapable 
of  procreating  its  species  ;  its  colours  are  dim  and  duU,  its 
motions  heavy,  it  dwells  much  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  is  an  easy  and  welcome  prey  to  the  eager  fish.  In  this 
form  it  is  said  to  be  semi-completa,  or  only  a  half  complete 
insect,  and  is  termed  the  pseudimago,  or  false  image  :  in  the 
May  fly  it  is  the  green  drake,  and  in  the  smaller  species  is  the 
dun  of  the  angler.  After  a  short  time,  however,  the  fly  throws 
off  another  complete  casing,  and  emerges  the  perfect  insect, 
larger,  brighter  in  colour,  with  tail  greatly  elongated,  stronger 
and  far  more  active — a  perfect  insect,  the  imago  or  image. 
The  green  drake  has  now  become  the  grey  drake  ;  the  last 
offices  of  the  insect's  life  are  performed,  it  consummates  its 
existence,  drops  its  eggs  upon  the  water,  to  the  number  of  many 
hundreds,  and  dies. 

The  Phryganidae  go  through  much  the  same  process,  with 
the  notable  exception  that  they  spring  from  the  pupa  state 
into  the  perfect  fly  or  imago  at  once,  not  having  to  pass 
through  the  pseudimago  phase  of  existence.  When  the  eggs 
of  the  Phryganidae  are  hatched,  they  take  the  form  of  a  httle 
soft  grub,  resembUng  a  maggot  in  appearance,  with  a  hard 
homy  head,  and  with  six  feet  upon  the  future  thorax.  This 
is  the  larva  form,  and  as  the  skin  is  very  tender  and  soft,  and 
susceptible  of  injury,  it  proceeds,  by  means  of  a  kind  of  gluten 
it  possesses,  to  form  for  itself  a  dweUing,  and  attaches  itself 


142  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

to  small  fragments  of  stick,  sand,  stone,  and  shells,  until  it 
has  constructed  a  small,  rough,  hard  tubular  case,  within 
which  it  can  shroud  itself  completely.  One  end  of  the  case  is 
left  entirely  open,  and  from  this  the  animal  at  times,  when 
it  desires  to  shift  its  position,  protrudes  its  head  and  feet, 
and  travels  along,  drawing  the  case  after  it ;  the  other  end 
is  in  many  species  partially  closed,  leaving  only  a  round  air- 
hole, which  fulfils  a  curious  purpose  in  insect  economy.  It 
is  in  the  power  of  the  larva  to  raise  itself  to  the  surface  of  the 
wai/er  by  secreting  within  the  tail  end  of  the  case  a  small 
portion  of  air  sufficient  to  buoy  up  the  weight  of  itself  and 
its  habitation,  and  by  means  of  this  it  may  often  be  seen 
hanging,  as  it  were,  from  the  surface  of  the  water,  apparently 
basking  with  its  tail  upwards  ;  but  at  the  least  alarm  or  the 
sHghtest  touch  the  air-bubble  is  expelled  through  the  round 
hole  alluded  to,  and  the  creature  drops  at  once  to  the  bottom. 
When  it  is  about  to  change  into  the  pupa  form,  the  larva 
closes  up  the  tube,  and  thus  in  a  sort  of  cocoon  becomes  a 
pupa,  the  wing  cases,  etc.,  being  developed,  as  in  the  Ephe- 
meridae,  but  rather  more  perfectly.  When  about  to  change 
into  the  imago,  some  of  the  species  tear  open  the  closed-up 
entrance  and  crawl  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  there  abandon 
their  case,  and  become  the  imago.  Some  of  the  smaller 
species,  however,  by  the  power  above  mentioned,  rise  to 
the  surface,  and  take  wing  from  their  cases,  using  them  as 
a  sort  of  raft.  These  cases  are  beautifully  smooth  and 
polished  on  the  inside,  and  well  adapted  to  the  creature's 
habits.  The  rest  of  its  existence  is  similar  to  that  already 
described  for  the  Ephemeridae,  save  that  it  is  somewhat  more 
prolonged. 

As  I  am  not  writing  a  work  upon  entomology,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  occupy  further  space  by  describing  the  history  of  the 
other  various  orders.  It  will  suffice  to  say,  that  they  all  more 
or  less  go  through  somewhat  similar  transformations — egg, 
larva,  pupa,  imago  being  the  progress  of  their  existence,  which 
is  carried  out  either  in  the  earth,  or  in  animal  or  vegetable 
matters,  in  the  droppings  of  cattle  or  the  bark  of  trees.  Nor 
should  I  have  ventured  to  dip  even  thus  far  into  the  science 
of  entomology,  save  to  dispel  errors  of  belief  and  judgment, 
which  often  produce  in  practice  results  unfavourable  to  the 
angler's  interests.  I  trust,  however,  that  these  explanations 
may  be  found  so  far  interesting  to  the  angler  as  to  call  for  no 
further  apology  for  their  introduction. 


MARCH  FLIES  143 

March  is  quite  early  enough  to  begin  fly-fishing ;  *  for  though 
they  do  begin  in  Devonshire  in  February,  yet,  as  the  ghost  of 
Giles  Scroggins  said  to  Molly,  when  she  objected  to  go  with 
him  because  she  was  not  dead,  "  That's  no  rule."  One  of  the 
first  flies  found  abroad,  particularly  in  the  midland  counties* 
streams,  is 

The  February  Red. — For  a  representation  of  the  natural 
fly,  see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  12,  page  134.  I  have  the  dressing  of 
this  fly  from  Mr.  Ackers,  the  president  of  the  Leintwardine 
Club,  as  it  is  much  in  favour  in  that  part  of  the  country.  It 
belongs  to  the  Perlidae,  and  is  a  member  of  the  same  family 
as  the  great  stone  fly,  the  smaller  willow  fly,  and  the  still 
smaller  needle  brown.  Their  wings,  of  which  they  have  two 
sets,  are  hard,  horny,  and  shining,  and  are  folded  flat  on  the 
back  in  a  very  small  space  ;  and,  though  comparatively  small- 
looking  insects  when  at  rest,  when  on  the  wing  their  appear- 
ance is  greatly  increased  by  the  double  allowance  of  wings. 
Body,  two  turns  of  dirty  claret — red  mohair  at  the  tail,  and 
medium  brown  mohair,  with  a  strand  or  two  of  hare's  ear  and 
claret  thrown  in  for  the  rest  of  the  body.f  Hackle,  dark 
grizzled  blue  dun  (cock's)  ;  wing,  a  shp  from  the  back  of  the 
peahen  ;  hook.  No.  9  or  10,  or  larger  for  rough  weather. 

The  Blue  Du7i  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  4,  p.  134). — This  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  generally  used  flies  in  the 
kingdom.  It  is  known  equally  as  the  early  dark  dun,  the 
hare's  ear,  and  the  cock-tail.  In  Lancashire,  Cumberland, 
and  that  district,  it  is  the  blue  and  olive  bloa  ;  in  Yorkshire, 
the  blue  drake  ;  in  Devonshire,  the  hare's  pluck,  the  hare's 
fleck,  and  the  blue  upright ;   in  fact,  its  names  are  as  endless 

I  as  those  of  the  salmon  fry,  and  it  is  a  common  favourite  upon 
tevery  river  from  Caithness  to  Cornwall.  It  varies  slightly  in 
colour  according  to  the  temperature  and  season.  If  the  day 
be  cold  and  bleak,  it  has  a  darker  tinge  than  in  warmer  and 
more  genial  weather.    Grizzled  fibres  pulled  from  the  hare's 

I^ear  are  favourite  materials  for  the  body,  and  these  are  warped 
fin  sometimes  with  yellow  silk  and  sometimes  with  oHve  silk^ 
so  that  the  colour  may  be  seen  which  gives  the  variety  required. 
This  makes  rather  a  rougher  body  than  I  like  ;    I  prefer  silk 
IB^  more  natural,  as  the  body  of  the  fly  is  unquestionably 

*  I  should  like  to  read  May  in  this  sentence  instead  of  March.  There  are 
very  few  waters  indeed  where  large  trout  are  in  decent  condition  before  May. 
Smjill  fish  pick  up  condition  more  quickly,  but  ist  May  is  quite  early  enough 
for  the  Hampshire  trout  streams. — Ed. 

t  On  the  Tweed  it  is  called  May  fly. — Ed. 


I 


144  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

smooth  and  not  hairy.  So  much,  however,  do  the  duns,  blue 
and  yellow,  vary  in  shade,  that  with  perhaps  a  dozen  different 
shades  in  my  book,  I  have  at  times  been  unable  satisfactorily  to 
hit  the  exact  hue  ;  and  as  colour  is  more  to  the  fish  than  any- 
thing else,  I  cannot  recommend  too  strongly  to  the  angler  the 
desirability  of  having  a  good  and  complete  selection  of  duns  of 
various  shades.  Such  a  selection  I  find  invaluable,  and  I 
always  endeavour  to  keep  the  stock  up  to  working  order, 
as  one  or  the  other  is  nearly  always  in  the  water.  To  show 
how  confusion  may  arise  by  giving  names  to  the  various 
shades  of  this  fly,  instead  of  simply  treating  them  as  varied 
shades  of  the  same  fly,  I  may  cite,  for  example,  that  "  Ephe- 
mera," in  his  March  flies,  reproduces  this  fly  under  four 
different  names — the  early  dark  dun,  the  olive  fly,  the  dark 
hare's  ear,  and  the  hare's  ear  and  yellow ;  a  little  variety 
in  the  shade  is  all  the  real  difference  that  exists  between  them. 

For  th2  Early  Blue  Dun,  or  olive  dun,  hare's  ear  body  wound 
on  with  olive  silk ;  two  turns  of  a  medium  blue  dun  hackle, 
just  dipped  in  onion  dye*  to  give  it  a  faint  olive  tinge.  Some 
use  no  hackle,  but  pick  out  the  hare's  ear  at  the  breast  for 
legs.  A  darkish  bit  of  the  feather  from  the  starhng's  wing, 
stained  in  the  same  manner,  and  dressed  rather  upright,  for 
a  wing,  with  a  couple  of  fibres  of  the  hackle  for  the  tail  (not 
too  long),  is  said  to  give  a  reasonably  good  imitation  of  the 
fly.  As  I  have  said,  I  think  the  body  too  rough,  and  I  prefer  to 
dress  it  with  an  olive-coloured  silk  body,  with  a  fine  thread  of 
yellow  silk  for  ribbing.  This  may  be  hit  off  of  the  right  hue  by 
well  waxing  a  bit  of  light  yellow  sewing  silk  with  cobbler's 
wax,  and  then  untwisting  it,  so  that  a  portion  of  the  interior 
or  unwaxed  part  may  come  to  light.  By  winding  this  on  with 
some  care,  a  very  good  alternation  of  olive  and  pale  yellow 
rings  may  be  made,  and  no  better  blue  dun  body  can  well  be 
conceived.  By  less  waxing  and  more  display  of  the  unwaxed 
silk,  the  shade  may  be  easily  lightened.  For  years  I  used  no 
other,  and  I  killed  with  it  all  over  the  kingdom.  In  all  these 
flies  avoid  over  hackling  them  ;  it  is  a  grave  fault.  Hooks, 
Nos.  9  and  lo,  or  smaller  if  for  very  fine  water.  After  a  short 
existence,  this  fly  changes  into 

The  Red  Spinner  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  5,  p.  134),  or  red- 
tailed  spinner  of  Jackson,  and  orange  drake  of  Theakstone. 
This  is  the  imago  of  which  the  blue  dun  is  the  pseudimago, 
and  after  its  transformation  it  comes  forth  a  brilliant  and 

♦  Made  by  steeping  the  peelings  of  onions  in  water. — F.F. 


MARCH  FLIES  145 

much  more  beautiful  insect.  Its  wings,  body,  and  tail  are 
longer,  more  slender,  and  more  lustrous,  its  colour  being 
entirely  changed  ;  the  body  being  of  brown-red,  the  legs  red, 
and  the  wings  of  a  bright  steely  hue.  It  is  a  very  lively  and 
strong  flying  insect,  and  though  it  occasionally  comes  on  the 
water  in  the  day-time,  yet  it  more  often  comes  out  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening,  when  it  may  be  seen  dancing  up  and  down, 
rising  and  falhng  again  in  a  very  peculiar  and  striking  manner, 
in  thousands.  A  slight  shower  of  rain  then  will  fill  your  creel 
rapidly.  As  the  blue  and  yellow  duns  vary  in  hue,  so  do  the 
spinners  from  a  dark  burnt  sienna  colour  (almost  red)  to  a 
very  Hght  brown,  the  wings  ranging  also  from  a  steel  hue, 
to  an  almost  transparent  white,  like  glass.  The  spinners 
are  only  second  in  the  estimation  of  the  trout  to  the  duns, 
and  a  good  stock  and  variety  of  them  should  always  be  kept 
by  the  angler.  The  usually  so-called  red  spinner  has  various 
costumes  assigned  to  it  ;  few  of  them  are  alike,  probably 
because  there  are  many  spinners  varying  but  slightly.  "  Ephe- 
mera "  gives  one  dressing  of  the  red  spinner ;  Ronalds, 
another  ;  Wade,  in  Halcyon,  three  others  ;  Jackson,  another  ; 
and  Theakstone,  another,  and  hardly  any  of  them  are  alike. 
Body,  dark  red-brown  silk,  ringed  with  fine  gold  thread  ; 
legs,  a  red  hackle  ;  tail,  three  wisps  of  the  same ;  wing,  a  dark 
shiny  brown  feather,  the  more  brilUant  and  transparent  the 
better.  This  is  nearer  to  "  Ephemera's  "  directions  than  any 
others.  The  body  and  legs  are  all  pretty  plain  saiHng,  but  the 
great  difficulty  in  the  fly  rests  in  the  wings.  There  are  various 
feathers  used  for  the  wing  of  this  fly,  none  of  which,  to  my 
mind,  at  all  accurately  represent  it,  for  the  wings  are  so 
brilliant,  sparkling,  and  transparent,  that  a  mere  mass  of 
dull  feathers  would  seem  a  hopeless  imitation  indeed  ;  the 
darker  feather  from  a  starling's,  or  rather  from  a  hen  black- 
bird's, wing  is  often  used.  The  inside  part  of  the  brown  tinged 
feather  in  a  jay's  wing,  brown  owl,  drake,  and  many  others 
are  employed  ;  but  the  best  imitation  in  feathers,  to  my  mind, 
is  conveyed  by  the  dark  shining  tips  of  a  blue  cock's  hackle — 
those  which  are  grizzled  or  freckled  with  a  golden  tinge  at 
the  point,  hitting  off  the  resemblance  almost  exactly,  the  open 
fibrous  nature  of  the  hackle  giving  the  glassy  transparency  so 
much  required,  and  which  cannot  be  conveyed  by  any  other 
feather,  the  springiness  and  play  of  the  cock's  hackle  being 
required  here  also.  Hooks,  Nos.  9  and  10.  I  always  have  my 
spinners  dressed  with  the  above  wing  and  they  answer  admirably. 


146  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  March  Brown,  or  cob-fly  of  Wales  ;  brown  drake, 
Yorkshire  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  3,  p.  134). — This  is  another  very 
celebrated  fly,  and  when  on,  it  is  a  great  and  deserved  favourite. 
It  comes  on  in  March,  and  lasts,  with  its  metamorphosis,  the 
great  red  spinner,  until  May.  It  can  be  used  at  times  through- 
out the  season,  but  its  advent  is  in  March,  when  some  waters 
positively  swarm  with  it.  It  varies  slightly  in  size,  and  the 
male  and  female  differ  a  Uttle  in  shade  of  colour,  the  female 
having  a  greenish  tinge,  and  being  of  a  somewhat  lighter 
colour.  It  is  a  largish  fly,  and  should  be  dressed  usually  on  a 
No.  8  hook,  though  on  fine  waters  it  is  dressed  smaller.  Body, 
of  a  dark  brown  fur,  hare's  ear  or  face,  ribbed  with  tawny 
yellow  silk  (some  use  straw-colour)  ;  legs,  hackle  from  a 
partridge's  back  ;  tail,  two  strands  of  the  same  ;  wings, 
the  dark  mottled  and  blurred  feather  from  a  cock  pheasant's 
wing  (some  use  partridge  tail,  or  a  mottled  woodcock  feather, 
or  the  speckled  feather  from  a  game  hen's  rump,  but  the 
pheasant's  wing  is  the  best  imitation).  For  the  female,  the 
legs  may  be  from  the  partridge  breast,  the  tail  of  the  same, 
and  a  few  shreds  of  any  olive  fur  may  be  introduced  amongst 
the  hare's  ear,  and  the  wing  may  be  a  shade  lighter  than  that 
used  for  the  male.  If  the  fly  be  on  strongly,  the  angler  will 
find  his  account  in  having  both  male  and  female  on  his  cast. 
This  is  also  an  indispensable  fly  to  the  angler.  As  I  have  said, 
this  fly  changes  into  the  great  red  spinner.  Some  people  have 
a  high  opinion  of  the  great  red  spinner.  I  have  never  done  a 
great  deal  of  business  with  it,  though  it  is,  no  doubt,  a  good 
evening  fly  throughout  the  season,  as,  indeed,  is  any  other 
largish  brown  fly.  It  is  a  strong  active  fly,  and  not  easily 
driven  on  the  water  against  its  will,  and  the  trout,  therefore, 
have  less  opportunity  of  cultivating  its  acquaintance  than 
they  have  of  its  original,  the  March  brown.  I  do  not  consider 
it  an  indispensable  fly,  but  as  some  do  fancy  it,  it  should  be 
dressed  of  the  same  size  as  the  March  brown,  or  a  size  larger, 
with  a  red  squirrel's  fur  body,  ribbed  with  gold  twist ;  amber- 
red  cock's  hackle  for  legs  ;  two  long  strands  of  the  same  for 
the  tail ;  wing,  the  bright  glassy  golden  feather  from  the 
wing  of  a  thrush.  It  is  a  very  elegant  fly,  if  the  fishes  be 
discriminators  of  beauty. 

The  Cow-dung  or  Lion  Fly. — This  is  one  of  the  most  useful 
of  the  land  flies,  particularly  on  windy  days,  such  as  the 
angler  may  expect  in  March  and  April.  Wherever  there  be 
meads  and  cows,  there  the  angler  may  be  sure,  particularly  in 


I 


MARCH  FLIES  I47 

the  spring,  to  find  the  cow-dung  fly,  and  a  large  number  may 
always  be  observed,  thanks  to  the  wind's  agency,  upon  the 
water,  where,  maugre  their  savoury  origin,  they  afford  much 
delectation  to  the  hungry  trout.  Hook,  No.  8  or  9  ;  body, 
full  and  fat,  of  tawny  orange  crewel,  with  a  few  sprigs  of 
squirrel's  fur  worked  into  the  body,  as  it  is  a  hairy  fly  ;  legs, 
yellowish-red  hackle,  say,  from  Cochin  China  cock — some  use 
a  darker  red  ;  wings,  dressed  close  and  flat,  of  the  landrail, 
one  of  the  lighter  shade  being  chosen.  The  angler  need  not 
cast  this  fly  hke  a  zephyr.  Naturally,  when  blown  into  the 
water,  it  flops  in  like  a  beetle,  but  it  immediately  recovers 
its  presence  of  mind,  and  sits  on  the  water,  though  some- 
what stupidly  in  appearance,  quite  as  if  it  was  used  to  it  ; 
its  hairiness  prevents  it  from  being  drowned  easily.  It  is  not 
indispensable,  but  sometimes  it  is  a  useful  fly. 

The  Needle  Brown. — This  Uttle  fly,  which,  as  I  have  already 
said,  belongs  to  the  Perlidae,  is  only  partially  treated  of  by 
angling  writers.  It  is  the  smallest  of  the  willow  flies.  Wade 
mentions  it  in  Halcyon  as  the  Spanish  needle,  but  without 
comment.  Theakstone,  in  his  capital  little  work  on  the 
streams  about  Ripon,  gives  a  full  account  of  it.  Jackson 
mentions  it  as  the  Uttle  brown  ;  but  Ronalds,  "  Ephemera," 
and  Blaine  say  nought  about  it,  which,  considering  how 
widely  the  fly  is  dispersed,  is  somewhat  strange  ;  possibly 
the  difficulty  of  imitating  it  successfully  has  something  to  do 
with  it  :  as  an  old  friend  of  mine  used  to  say  of  it,  who  was  a 
great  frequenter  of  Tweed,  where  it  abounds,  "  A  nasty  little 
nuisance  !  you  can  neither  do  with  it  nor  without  it.'*  It 
is  a  great  favourite,  however,  with  the  trout ;  and  as  it  makes 
its  appearance  early,  and  is  to  be  found  more  or  less  through- 
out the  season,  it  cannot  be  other  than  a  useful  fly.  On  fine 
sunny  days  the  angler  may  often  notice  it  on  the  stones, 
piles,  posts,  etc.,  by  the  river  side — a  little  insect  of  some 
half  an  inch  or  more  in  length,  resembling  in  appearance  a 
thin  fragment  of  stick  or  straw,  of  a  steely  brown  colour 
(hence  the  name  it  is  sometimes  known  by — the  Spanish 
needle)  ;  sometimes  it  is  perfectly  still  and  quiet,  but  when 
disturbed  it  shows  great  activity,  running  over  the  stones  and 
hiding  itself  in  cracks.  On  fine  warm  days,  and  later  in  the 
season,  it  is  often  very  abundant.  On  catching  and  examining 
the  insect,  the  angler  will  observe  that  the  wings,  which  are 
closely  folded  over  the  body,  overlap  at  the  tail,  are  of  a  fine 
shining  brown,  similar  in  colour  and  texture  to  the  wings  of 


148  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

the  well-known  alder  fly.  These,  however,  are  only  the  upper 
wings ;  under  them,  and  joining  the  body  about  a  third  of 
its  length  down,  is  another  pair  of  wings.  The  extension  of 
these  two  pair  of  wings  when  the  insect  is  in  the  act  of  flight 
gives  this  species,  as  I  have  said,  rather  a  considerable  appear- 
ance ;  but  the  moment  it  perches,  its  pretentious  appearance 
vanishes  and  it  becomes  a  fine  shred  again.  There  are  a  good 
many  varieties  of  this  fly,  and  they  vary  in  shade  and  size  as 
the  season  advances.  The  body  is  best  imitated  with  a  fine 
shred  from  the  yellowish  quill  from  a  thrush's  wing ;  for 
legs  a  grizzled  blue  dun  cock's  hackle ;  the  under  wings 
starHng's  feather  (not  too  much  of  it),  and  above  them  two 
fine  slips  of  hen  blackbird's  wing.  I  consider  this  a  useful  fly, 
if  well  and  carefully  dressed,  throughout  the  season,  and 
though  it  can  hardly  be  considered  an  indispensable  one,  I 
have  seen  the  trout  feeding  upon  it  almost  to  the  exclusion 
of  every  other  fly.  Owing  to  the  peculiar  arrangement  of 
the  wings,  it  is  very  difficult  to  dress,  however,  and  possibly 
if  dressed  buzz  or  hackle-wise  with  about  one-half  of  the 
hackle  fibres  on  the  under  or  breast  side  snipped  off  (as  indeed 
all  buzz  dressed  flies,  except  the  actual  palmers,  should  be 
served),  it  would  be  found  to  kill  better.  Hooks,  Nos.  ii  and  12. 
The  Red  and  Black  Hackles,  or  Palmers  as  they  are  termed, 
are  especial  favourites  and  quite  a  piece  de  resistance  with  many 
anglers,  more  particularly  the  red  one.  I  rarely  use  them,  save 
for  dace  and  chub,  but  many  anglers  as  rarely  fish  without  one 
or  the  other  of  them.  As  respects  the  palmer  theory,  it  appears 
to  me  to  invade  the  realms  of  fancy,  and  Mr.  Ronalds'  beautiful 
drawings  of  the  caterpillars  of  the  Arctia  caja,  or  Lasiocampa 
rubi  moths,  etc.,  are  ingenious,  but,  I  fear,  misapplied.  The 
only  palmer  at  all  answering  to  the  received  notion  is  the 
caterpillar  of  the  tiger-moth,  Arctia  caja,  an  insect  of  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  length  and  almost  as  thick  as  a  pencil.  I  do  not 
deny  that,  for  chub,  palmers  are  dressed  of  that  size  nearly, 
but  how  often  in  the  course  of  a  season  does  the  angler  come 
across  a  tiger-moth  or  his  caterpillar  either  ?  Unless  he  goes 
out  to  hunt  for  them  he  may  not  see  a  dozen.  But  suppose  he 
sees  double  or  treble  that  number — in  which  case  he  would 
write  to  the  Field,  probably  to  note  the  great  and  unusual 
abundance  of  tiger-moths  in  his  locality — how  many  of  them, 
at  a  fair  calculation,  will  obhge  the  trout  by  seeking  out  the 
river  side  (for  the  water  does  not  produce  them),  and  having 
laboriously  ascended  one  of  the  trees  on  the  bank,  and  then 


MARCH  FLIES  149 

with  careful  judgment  and  nice  discrimination  having  selected 
the  boughs  most  fitted  for  the  purpose  as  overhanging  the 
water,  rehnquish  their  hold  (a  pretty  firm  one,  by  the  way)  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  dropping  into  the  water  that  they  may  be 
gobbled  up  by  the  trout  below.  This  is  the  only  way  they  can 
get  into  the  water,  for  a  heavy  insect  like  this  is  not  blown  about 
like  a  fly.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  a  variety  of  caterpillars, 
as  well  as  beetles  and  other  insects,  do  not  drop  from  the  trees 
into  the  water.  There  are  many  of  them  which  particularly 
affect  such  places  and  the  kind  of  trees  which  grow  there,  but 
I  do  not  think  the  Arctia  caja  caterpillar  is  one  of  them, 
gardens  being  its  favourite  locahty,  so  much  so  that  the  moth 
is  called  "  the  garden  tiger."  The  percentage  of  these  palmers, 
therefore,  which  find  their  way  into  the  rivers  thus  must 
necessarily  be  very  small — so  small,  indeed,  as  to  offer  very 
few  opportunities  to  the  trout  of  ascertaining  their  flavour ;  and 
it  is  a  very  great  question  if  more  than  one  trout  in  a  hundred 
ever  has  in  his  lifetime  an  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  it.  I  can  only  say  that  in  all  my  experience,  and  that  is 
not  short  or  little,  I  never  remember  but  once  or  twice  to  have 
seen  this  caterpillar  drifting  on  the  water,  and  then — why  then 
I  threw  it  there  myself  to  experimentahse. 

As  regards  the  taste  of  a  chub  for  them,  all  that  can  be  said 
is,  that  there  is  no  small  animal  or  large  insect  of  any  kind,  or 
imitation  thereof,  which  you  can  throw  to  him  which  he  will 
not  seize  and  devour  with  avidity  ;  and  I  equally  believe  that 
there  is  nothing  that  can  be  dressed  with  fur  and  feathers  in 
the  shape  of  insect  or  fly  which  some  trout  or  other  will  not 
be  rash  enough  to  dash  at,  at  times.  What  is  more  common 
than  for  a  trout  to  lay  hold  of  a  salmon  fly  half  as  big  as  him- 
self ?  What  does  he  mistake  that  for  ?  For  the  tiger-moth 
itself  possibly,  upon  which  he  is  so  in  the  habit  of  feeding. 
Granting  even  the  palmer  theory,  can  the  trout  mistake  the 
small  insect  dressed  with  some  three  turns  of  a  red  hackle  and 
half  a  strand  of  herl  for  a  huge  hairy  caterpillar  of  more  than 
a  dozen  times  its  size  ?  Is  this  reasonable,  or  is  it  not  simple 
nonsense  ?  Then,  it  is  often  called  the  coch  y  bondu,  when 
dressed  with  a  hackle  with  a  black  centre.  Now,  if  this  really 
be  meant  for  an  imitation  of  the  coch  y  bondu,  it  is  a  very  bad 
one.  The  coch  y  bondu,  which  is  identical  with  the  bracken 
clock,  the  Marlow  buzz,  the  shorn  fly,  the  fern  webb,  etc.  etc., 
is  not  a  fly  or  palmer  but  a  winged  beetle,  like  unto  a  very 
small  cockchafer,  and  which  makes  its  appearance  in  some 


150  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

localities  (for  it  is  very  local  and  abounding  sometimes  on  one 
or  two  miles  of  a  river  and  absent  from  the  next  one  or  two)  in 
the  balmy  airs  of  June.  Yet  we  use  this  fly  even  in  February, 
and  it  takes.  We  use  it,  moreover,  as  the  cochy  bondu  on  rivers 
where  the  natural  insect  is  never  seen,  and  still  it  takes  well  at 
times.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  fish  mistake  it  either 
for  a  water  spider  or  the  larva  of  some  beetle  or  fly  which  it 
may  possibly  resemble.  There  are  many  spiders,  as  I  have 
already  pointed  out,  which  lead  an  aquatic  existence,  and  I  am 
very  much  of  Mr.  Stewart's  opinion  that  the  angler  does  not 
sufficiently  take  these  useful  aids  to  his  art  under  his  considera- 
tion. But  although  I  can  speak  tolerably  positively  as  to  what 
it  is  not  mistaken  for,  I  do  not  pretend  to  speak  nearly  so 
positively  as  to  what  it  is  mistaken  for.  Spider,  beetle,  or 
larva,  it  is  a  very  useful  insect  to  the  angler,  and  though,  as  I 
have  said,  I  use  it  more  for  dace  and  chub  than  trout,  many 
anglers  hold  a  different  opinion  of  it,  and  dressed  with  a  full 
body  of  peacock  herl  on  a  No.  8,  9,  or  10  hook,  and  three  or  four 
turns  of  a  fine  blood-red  cock's  hackle,  it  will  do  some  execu- 
tion from  March  till  October.*  If  the  angler  hkes  the  coch  y 
bondu  theory  he  can  dress  it  with  a  hackle  with  a  black  centre 
to  it,  when  it  will  kill  equally  well,  sometimes  better.  A  further 
description  of  the  coch  y  bondu  will  be  found  subsequently. 

The  black  hackle  is  tied  in  the  same  way  and  of  the  same 
size  with  a  black  cock's  hackle  and  peacock's  herl  mixed  with 
black  ostrich,  but  it  is  a  less  useful  fly  ;  indeed,  I  seldom 
employ  it  at  all  on  our  southern  rivers. 

There  are  other  flies  recommended  for  March  by  various 
writers  which  may  be  adopted  if  the  angler  thinks  fit.  Mr. 
Ronalds  recommends  the  peacock  fly,  which  is  rather  a  small- 
winged  beetle  than  a  fly.  It  is  somewhat  local  in  its  character 
but  is  pretty  plentiful  where  it  is  found.  Body,  bronze  pea- 
cock's herl  dressed  with  mulberry  silk  ;  wing,  the  darkest  part 
of  a  starHng's  wing  ;  legs,  a  hackle  stained  dark  purple, 
appearing  black,  but  when  held  up  to  the  light  having  a  dark 
tortoise-shell  hue  :  hook.  No.  11  or  12.  The  angler  will  usually 
find,  however,  that  for  March  he  need  not  go  far  beyond  one  or 
two  shades  of  the  blue  dun,  the  March  brown,  the  red  spinner, 
the  cow-dung,  and  the  coch  y  bondu.  The  rest  he  may  have, 
these  he  must. 

April. — For  this  month  the  best  flies  are  those  which  I  have 

*  For  chub  the  palmers  are  dressed  upon  No.  6  and  7  hooks  and  often 
have  as  many  as  two  hackles  laid  on  to  make  them  very  bushy. — F.  F. 


APRIL  FLIES  151 

named  for  the  last  one,  all  of  which  may  still  be  depended  on. 
But  there  are  many  other  excellent  flies  which  make  their 
appearance  this  month.    Chief  amongst  them  is 

The  Yellow  Dun,  yellow-legged  bloa  of  Jackson,  hare's  ear 
and  yellow,  etc.  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  6,  p.  134). — I  am  almost 
inclined  to  think  that  the  yellow  dun  is  but  a  modification  or 
sort  of  second  crop  of  the  blue  dun  ;  at  any  rate  it  bears  a  very 
close  relationship  to  it.  It  seems  to  prefer  warmer  weather  than 
the  blue  dun,  and  comes  on  more  during  the  middle  of  the  day 
than  at  morning  or  evening.  It  should  be  dressed  of  the  same 
size  as  the  blue  dun.  The  body  is  of  an  oHve-yellow.  Take  a 
shred  of  yellow  silk,  wax  it  lightly  with  a  bit  of  the  light  wax 
(see  white  wax  receipt),  and  then  unravel  it,  and  wind  it  on  the 
hook  for  the  body.  The  centre  of  the  silk  which  has  not  been 
touched  by  the  wax  will,  as  I  have  shown  in  the  blue  dun, 
show  a  brighter  coil  here  and  there,  which  will  give  the  brighter 
yellow  rings  or  joints  of  the  body.  Contrive,  if  possible,  when 
thus  laying  it  on,  to  make  the  yellowest  portions  show  on  the 
belly,  and  the  darker  or  more  olive  hue  caused  by  the  wax  more 
visible  upon  the  back,  as  the  back  of  the  fly  is  of  a  darker  tinge 
than  the  belly.  If  this  be  neatly  and  properly  done,  it  gives  a 
capital  imitation  of  the  body.  Some  writers  recommend 
mohair  and  crewels,  but  this  cannot  be  a  good  imitation, 
because  the  body  is  smooth  and  shiny,  and  not  in  the  least 
rough,  added  to  which,  crewels  and  such  materials  should  never 
be  used  for  these  flies  if  they  can  be  avoided,  as  they  suck  up  a 
good  deal  of  water,  and  make  the  fly  lumpy  and  heavy.  The 
legs  should  be  made  of  a  delicate  honey  dun  hen's  hackle.  This 
hackle  has  a  dull,  pale,  smoky  bluish  centre  and  golden  tips, 
which  show  more  plainly  when  held  up  to  the  light.  It  is  rather 
a  scarce  feather  to  obtain,  and  the  owners  of  hens  which 
produce  it  in  perfection  are  rather  choice  over  them,  and  there- 
fore if  the  angler  cannot  get  it,  he  may  use  the  hackle  of  a  light 
buff  Cochin  China  hen,  which  practically  does  almost  as  well. 
To  vary  the  shade,  if  the  body  be  at  all  dark,  use  a  pale  blue  dun 
hackle.  The  wing  should  be  taken  from  the  wing  of  a  young 
starling,  being  a  lighter  colour  and  having  a  finer  texture  than 
that  of  an  old  one.  The  tail  is  short  and  limp,  and  is  best 
imitated  by  leaving  about  half  an  inch  of  a  couple  of  the  un- 
twisted strands  of  the  silk  of  which  the  body  is  composed,  or  the 
angler  may  use  two  strands  of  the  buff  Cochin  hackle.  Hooks 
No.  9  and  10  or  smaller.  This  fly,  which  is  also  indispensable 
to  the  angler,  after  a  few  days  changes  its  coat  and  becomes 


152  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  Brown  Spinner. — This  is  another  capital  fly.  It  is  very 
similar  to  the  red  spinner,  and  may  be  dressed  very  like  it, 
save  that  the  body  should  be  made  of  not  so  red  but  of  lighter 
and  browner  silk,  ribbed  with  fine  gold  wire.  The  hackle 
should  be  of  a  hghter  red,  not  such  a  blood-red  as  the  red 
spinner,  and  the  wing  should  also  be  of  a  shade  or  two  lighter 
hue.  It  will  be  found  more  plentiful  towards  the  afternoon  and 
evening.  The  angler  will  find  his  account  in  using  the  red 
spinner  when  the  blue  dun  has  been  on  in  the  day,  and  the 
brown  one  when  the  yellow  dun  has  prevailed.  There  is 
also 

A  Larger  Yellow  Dun. — I  call  it  a  yellow  dun  because  it 
very  much  resembles  the  fly  I  have  mentioned  above,  and  not 
because  it  is  the  same  fly,  for  I  doubt  if  it  belongs  to  the  same 
family.  In  some  places  it  is  called  the  large  blue.  It  would 
more  appropriately  be  termed  the  large  yellow.  It  should  be 
dressed  of  one  or  perhaps  two  sizes  larger  than  the  yellow  dun, 
and  with  a  more  prevalent  olive  tinge  ;  in  other  respects,  the 
dressing  given  above  may  be  tolerably  closely  observed.  Mr. 
Ronalds,  in  speaking  of  this  fly,  does  not  appear  to  estimate  it 
very  highly,  but  it  is  a  capital  fly  nevertheless,  and  may  be  used 
throughout  the  season  with  great  advantage,  as  I  have  seen  it 
favourably  noticed  upon  the  water  even  in  the  month  of 
September. 

The  next  best  fly  to  my  mind — and  it  is  a  great  favourite  of 
mine  when  it  comes  on — is  the 

Little  Iron-blue  Dun  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  7,  p.  134). — The 
iron-blue  dun  of  Ronalds  ;  the  iron-blue  drake  of  Theakstone  ; 
little  iron-blue,  etc.  etc.,  of  Wade  (who  has  more  than  a  dozen 
different  dressings  and  names  for  this  fly)  ;  little  dark  bloa  of 
Jackson,  little  dark  dun,  etc.  etc.  "Ephemera"  does  not  mention 
this  fly  at  all,  unless  a  whirHng  dun,  given  in  April,  is  meant  for 
it.  Jackson  does  not  give  this  fly  till  June,  though  all  other 
authors  introduce  it  in  April.  Nevertheless,  he  does  give  its 
transformation  or  imago  in  May.  It  comes  on  whenever  there 
is  a  glint  of  sunshine  on  the  cold  and  windy  days  towards  the 
end  of  April,  and  the  trout  appear  very  averse  to  let  any  of 
them  escape.  The  angler  may  be  wondering  at  the  dullness  of 
the  fish.  All  perhaps  has  been  quiet ;  he  has  hardly  taken  a 
fish  or  seen  a  rise  for  half  an  hour.  Suddenly  he  hears  a 
"  plop,"  then  another.  He  looks  about  and  discovers  an  iron- 
blue  or  two  on  the  stream.  They  are  the  advanced  guard. 
Anon  the  main  army  comes  on,  and  down  the  water  they  sail 


APRIL  FLIES  153 

in  scores,  sitting  lightly  and  saucily  on  the  surface,  the  neatest, 
cleanest,  and  most  bloodthirsty-looking  Uttle  fellows.  On  they 
come,  whirling  about  on  the  eddying  current,  now  head  up- 
stream and  now  down.  Plop,  plop,  plop,  the  trout  are  rising 
in  all  directions  ;  the  fun  grows  fast  and  furious.  Well  betide 
the  angler  then  if  he  has  a  stock  of  them  well  and  neatly  tied 
upon  the  finest  weed-coloured  gut,  for  in  the  next  half-hour 
many  a  fin  shall  flap  and  tail  shall  wag  beneath  his  bending  rod, 
which  never  shall  wag  more.  Useless  then  your  blue  and 
yellow  duns  ;  unless  all  your  March  browns  and  spinners — the 
trout  will  not  look  at  them.  Essay  a  cast  of  them  over  yonder 
fine  fellow  that  has  risen  a  score  of  times  under  the  bank  there, 
while  you  have  been  changing  flies  in  vain  (not  having  our  little 
barb  friend  in  your  store).  There,  you  cover  him  with  the  bob 
fly,  and  up  he  comes.  You  need  not  strike,  for  no  answering 
twitch  follows  the  sudden  rise.  He  merely  took  an  iron-blue 
within  an  inch  of  your  bob.  And  there,  as  I  live,  ere  the 
stretcher  is  well  over  him,  he  has  taken  another  !  How  they 
are  rising  to  be  sure  !  and  how  desperately  provoking  it  is  that 
not  one  of  them  all  will  look  at  you.  Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic, 
all  is  still.  Every  trout  has  left  off  rising.  Who  would  believe, 
to  look  at  the  bosom  of  that  placid  stream  now  undimpled  by  a 
rise  or  a  ripple,  that  but  a  bare  half-minute  since  it  was  all  in  a 
break  and  turmoil  with  the  splash  and  rising  of  ravenous 
monsters  ?  To  look  at  the  stream  now  no  one  would  think 
there  is  a  trout  in  it.  You  know  better  though  ;  and  now 
if  you  have  the  skill  and  the  patience,  sit  down  in  some 
sheltered  nook,  pull  out  your  fly  book,  choose  your  finest  hooks 
and  gut  (hook.  No.  11  or  12),  and  set  to  work.  Have  you  an 
old  fly  with  a  mole's  fur  body,  or  any  silk  for  that  colour,  or 
even  a  shade  lighter,  as  the  fly  varies  from  light  lead  colour  to 
mole's  fur  ?  Good  !  on  with  it ;  not  too  fast  nor  too  thick, 
however.  The  shank  of  your  hook  will  be  almost  sufficient  for 
the  tail  end  of  the  body,  and  will  be  almost  of  the  right  colour. 
Now,  two  turns  of  a  dark  slate-blue  dun  hackle,  and  now, 
almost  upright,  a  wing  composed  of  very  fine  dark  smoky  blue, 
or  lead-coloured  feather.  Wade  recommends  the  small  feather 
in  the  cormorant's  wing  or  the  tomtit's  tail ;  Ronalds, 
cormorant,  tomtit  wing,  or  breast  of  water-hen  ;  Theakstone, 
breast  of  water-hen  ;  and  Jackson,  wing  of  water-hen  ;  so  the 
tyer  can  take  his  choice.  The  fact  is,  the  wing  varies  in  dark- 
ness or  lightness,  as  does  both  the  body  and  hackle.  Tail,  did 
70U  say  ?     True,  we  had  forgotten  the  tail,  but  it  is  not  of 


you  sa 


154  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

much  consequence,  and  I  as  often  use  it  without  as  with,  as 
the  tail  in  the  Hving  insect  is  stuck  upwards  from  the  water,  and, 
I  am  incHned  to  think,  is  unnoticed  by  the  trout.  However,  as 
it  is  well  to  have  your  fly  perfect  if  you  wish  it,  tie  in  at  the  end 
of  the  whipping  a  couple  of  strands  of  a  Hghter  hackle  than  the 
one  you  use.  The  natural  insect  has  rather  a  prominent  head, 
and  eyes  of  a  bright  brown  colour,  and  if  you  like  to  take  half 
a  turn  of  reddish  squirrel  fur  at  the  extreme  shoulder  it  will 
improve  the  fly.  The  iron-blue  comes  out  on  bleak  days  early 
in  the  season,  when  there  is  a  glint  of  sunshine  ;  but  there  is 
another  little  dark  dun  which  much  resembles  the  iron-blue, 
but  is  not  so  dark,  being  a  shade  or  two  lighter  throughout,  and 
the  body  should  be  Hghtly  ribbed  with  fine  straw-coloured  silk. 
This  fly,  often  taken  for  the  iron-blue,  comes  on  severalUimes  later 
in  the  season.  It  is  quite  possible  that  it  may  be  a  reproduction 
of  the  iron-blue,  as  the  iron-blues  themselves  vary  in  depth  of 
colour  slightly,  being  lighter  on  one  river  than  another.  It  is  a 
valuable  lure,  and  the  angler  should  have  two  or  three  shades  of 
it,  for  I  have  often  been  puzzled,  though  having  different 
shades,  in  hitting  the  exact  hue,  and  colour  is,  as  I  have  before 
said,  a  great  point  with  the  trout. 

And  now  look  sharp,  for  half  an  hour  has  passed  while  you 
have  been  rummaging  out  your  materials  and  tying  your  fly  ; 
and  see,  a  fresh  detachment  of  the  iron-blues  are  sailing  down 
the  water,  and  the  surface  of  the  water,  quiet  enough  but  a 
few  minutes  since,  is  again  alive  with  fish  ;  and,  as  I  hve,  there 
is  your  fat  friend,  who  so  contemptuously  left  your  cast 
unnoticed  a  while  agone,  as  busy  as  ever.  Now  for  it — deftly, 
deftly  !  Well  cast  and  lightly.  Ha  !  again  he  rises,  and  this 
time  you  are  revenged  for  his  previous  contempt,  for  you  have 
him  fast  under  *'  a  severe  course  of  steel "  that  shall  speedily 
tame  his  rampant  energy.  So  :  safe  at  last  !  A  beauty,  and 
two  honest  pounds  in  weight,  as  I  am  a  living  angler  and  a 
sinner.  Bravo  !  he  will  grace  your  basket  right  worthily  ;  but 
lose  no  time  in  looking  at  him,  you  will  have  time  for  that 
anon,  when  the  fish  have  ceased  rising  again.  Always  make 
hay  as  fast  as  you  can  while  the  sun  shines  and  the  iron-blues 
are  coming,  swirling  thick  and  fast,  and  luck  be  with  you, 
brother  angler.  Three  cheers  for  your  iron-blue  !  may  it  be 
the  True  Blue  !  This  is  also  an  indispensable  servant  of  the 
angler's. 

After  a  few  days  the  iron-blue  casts  his  coat,  and  you  may 
find  yours,  perhaps,  on  some  warm  evening,  covered  with  the 


APRIL  FLIES  155 

small  flecks  of  their  whitish  exuviae,*  and  swarms  of  a  beautiful 
httle  insect  are  careering  round  you.  This  is  the  dehcate  httle 
Jenny  Spinner  or  Spinning  Jenny. — Curiously  enough, 
while  Jackson  does  not  give  the  iron-blue,  he  gives  its  imago, 
under  the  name  of  the  little  white  spinner,  and  he  places  it 
early  in  May.  By  Theakstone  it  is  called  the  pearl-drake. 
"  Ephemera"  does  not  mention  it.  Wade  calls  it  the  evening 
bloa.  It  is  not  at  all  an  easy  insect  to  imitate,  so  transparent 
are  its  colours  and  so  slender  its  proportions.  It  is  almost  as 
great  a  favourite  with  the  trout,  however,  as  in  its  earlier  form. 
Imprimis,  the  tail  is  to  be  made  of  two  strands  of  a  light  blue 
dun  hackle.  The  body  is  pecuUar  :  at  the  head  and  tail  it  is  of  a 
bright  brown  colour  ;  the  middle  part,  however,  is  of  a  hmpid 
watery  white.  This  is  generally  very  badly  imitated  by  a 
few  turns  of  dead  white  floss  silk,  which  is  about  as  Hke  it  as  a 
drumhead  is  to  a  window-pane.  A  clear  horsehair  or  a  shred  of 
fine  gut  wound  round,  may  bear  some  resemblance  to  it.  But 
the  head  and  tail  parts  must  be  of  bright  orange-brown  silk  : 
about  two  turns  of  finest  sewing  silk,  just  enough  to  show 
clearly.  The  wings — ah  !  the  wings  !  What  shall  we  do  to 
imitate  their  clear,  delicate,  watery  transparency  ?  The  tips  of 
two  very  pale  fight  blue  hackles  might  perhaps  come  near  it. 
The  usual  way,  however,  is — as  both  Theakstone  and  Mr. 
Ronalds  recommend — to  dress  the  fly  hackle  fashion,  or  buzz, 
as  it  is  termed,  with  the  lightest,  silveriest  dun  hackle  to  be  got. 
If  this  fly  could  be  well  imitated  (which  it  cannot),  it  would  be  a 
valuable  one,  but  hitherto  our  imitations  are  but  sorry  affairs, 
and  the  fish  appear  to  know  it  too,  for  although  rising  greedily 
at  the  natural  fly,  they  do  not  greatly  favour  the  imitation, 

*  This  more  particularly  occurs  with  the  later  broods  of  the  iron-blue, 
which  come  on  in  June  and  early  in  July.  Mr.  Ronalds  says  upon  this  point : 
"  A  little  dark  dun  with  a  brown  head,  not  exactly  similar  to,  but  very 
much  like  the  Iron  Blue,  is  found  in  August,  and  then  a  spinner  like  the 
Jenny  Spinner  has  an  orange-coloured  head,  and  the  extremity  of  its  body  a 
lighter  colour. 

"  There  is  also  upon  some  waters  a  rather  smaller  ephemeral  fly,  similar 
in  colour  to  the  Jenny  Spinner,  whose  metamorphosis  does  not  change  much, 
in  tint,  from  the  original.  It  ^s  to  be  found  in  some  seasons  upon  the  Blythe, 
in  Staffordshire  ;  but  upon  lake  Tal-y-llyn,  in  North  Wales,  this  insect  is 
so  numerous,  on  warm  evenings,  as  to  form  clouds,  settling  upon  the  dress 
of  a  person  passing  by  the  lake  (or  upon  any  other  object),  where,  in  five  or 
ten  minutes,  it  changes  its  coat,  leaving  the  old  one  upon  the  dress,  etc., 
which,  if  of  a  dark  colour,  becomes  spangled  with  seemingly  white  spots. 
The  tail  increases  to  quite  four  times  its  original  length  when  this  change 
takes  place." 

I  have  seen  this  strikingly  exemplified  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Test, 
where  it  is  a  great  favourite  with  the  fish.  I  have  seen  the  river  covered 
ith  rises  when  it  is  on,  and  have  tried  every  fly  I  could  think  of  in  vain. 


I 


156  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

even  at  the  best,  as  they  will  do  that  of  flies  more  easily 
imitated. 

The  Black  Gnat. — This  would  be  another  very  useful  fly, 
but  is  also  difficult  to  imitate  from  its  exceeding  diminutive- 
ness.  This  fly  has  been  called  "  the  fisherman's  curse," 
because  when  the  fish  are  rising  at  it  well,  they  are  said  to 
seldom  take  the  imitation  or  any  other  fly.  Still  I  have  had  a 
good  deal  of  sport  with  it,  when  hut  a  few,  or  indeed  none  of 
them,  have  been  on  the  water  ;  I  confess,  however,  when  they  are 
on  very  thickly,  and  the  trout  have  been  taking  them  freely  or 
almost  exclusively,  that  I  have  found  my  imitation  though  not 
altogether  useless,  yet  greatly  at  a  discount.  Nevertheless,  as 
I  have  said,  it  is  occasionally  a  useful  fly,  when  it  dwells  rather 
in  the  trout's  memory  than  in  his  eye,  and  I  know  good  anglers 
who  are  even  very  partial  to  the  use  of  it,  and  who  as  often 
put  it  into  their  cast  as  any  other  fly.  Choose  your  smallest 
hooks,  take  a  black  ostrich  herl  with  the  shortest  fibre  you  can 
find — ^if  not  short  enough,  clip  the  body  when  tied  up  with  a 
fine  pair  of  scissors  ;  two  turns  of  a  very  small  black  hackle  for 
legs  ;  some  eschew  legs  altogether — it  certainly  makes  the  fly 
less  bulky.  Wings,  two  very  fine  clear  slips  of  a  starling's 
feather,  and  dressed  as  low  and  fiat  as  you  can  conveniently 
fix  them.  The  fly  is  hardly  abundant  till  the  warmer  suns  of 
May  bring  it  forth,  but  then  it  sometimes  is  very  thickly  on. 

On  a  hook  three  sizes  larger  put  the  same  dressing,  the  body 
being,  of  course,  comparatively  stouter,  with  wings  and  legs  to 
match,  or  you  may  use  a  dark  lead-blue  dun  hackle,  and  you 
have 

The  Hawthorn  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  i8,  p.  134). — A  land 
fly,  but  at  times  by  no  means  a  useless  ally  of  the  angler's 
where  hedges  abound.  Both  the  above  flies  are  found  more 
plentifully  towards  the  end  of  the  month. 

The  Gravel  Bed  or  Spider  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  17,  p.  134). 
— This  is  rather  a  local  fly,  and  is  not  found  upon  every  river, 
but  when  it  is  found  it  is  a  great  favourite  with  the  fish  ;  but 
it  is  capricious  even  in  these  places  on  dark,  cold  days,  scarcely 
showing  at  all.  But  let  an  hour  of  warm  sunshine  break  forth, 
and  they  come  creeping  from  their  holes  to  the  great  delight 
of  the  hungry  trout.  They  abound  on  the  Usk  in  South  Wales, 
and  on  many  of  the  Derbyshire  streams  they  are  found,  but 
less  plentifully.  On  sedgy  rivers,  flowing  over  a  loamy  or 
muddy  bed  they  are  not  found.  Hook  No.  10  ;  body  fine,  of 
dark  slate  or  lead-coloured  floss  silk  ;  legs  very  long,  almost  as 


APRIL  FLIES  157 

long  as  the  hook,  a  black  cock's  hackle,  but  not  too  much  of  it — 
two  turns  are  fully  sufficient ;  wings,  two  fine  slips  from  the 
woodcock's  wing,  dressed  cold  and  fiat. 

All  of  the  last  three  flies  belong  to  the  order  of  Diptera,  the 
last  two  of  the  family  of  Tipulidae  or  crane  flies,  of  which  the 
Daddy  or  Harry  Longlegs  is  a  prominent  member.  This 
family  have  but  two  wings,  which  are  either  expanded,  as  in  the 
longlegs,  or  incumbent,  that  is,  resting  partly  on  the  body,  as 
in  the  two  specimens  depicted,  and  they  are  devoid  of  the  two 
small  supplementary  wings  called  poisers,  which  may  be  seen 
in  all  the  Ephemeridae. 

The  Sand  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  14,  p.  134). — This  is  a  fly 
which  has  found  many  patrons.  It  is  one  of  the  numerous 
class  of  Phryganidae,  the  natural  history  and  characteristics  of 
which  I  have  already  sufficiently  described.  The  sand  fly  is  a 
pretty  taking  looking  fly  ;  it  is  a  general  favourite,  being  a 
native  of  most  streams.  Some  anglers  never  try  it,  and,  though 
I  often  use  it,  I  never  find  it  very  deadly.  There  are  flies  of  the 
same  class  which  I  like  better  ;  and  so  many  other  flies  are  on 
at  this  time  of  the  year,  that  one  need  not  use  it,  unless  a 
special  fancy  for  it  be  indulged  in.  Dress  it  on  a  No.  10  hook 
of  reddish  fur  from  a  hare's  poll,  mix  well  with  buff  fur,  to  give 
it  the  sandy  tinge  ;  legs,  hackle  from  buff  Cochin  hen  ;  wings, 
two  scraps  of  starling,  with  two  larger  slips  of  landrail's  reddish 
wing  feather  over  the  starling. 

The  Grannom  or  Greentail. — This  is  another  member  of  the 
Phryganidse.  It  has,  like  the  last,  a  great  name  with  some 
anglers,  and  on  some  streams  it  is  very  abundant.,  though 
its  duration  is  rather  limited.  I  must  confess  that  I  have  not 
that  faith  in  it  which  it  may  probably  deserve.  Size,  same 
as  the  last  fly,  or  one  size  smaller  ;  body,  hare's  ear  and 
water-rat  fur  mixed,  the  former  prevailing  ;  at  the  tail  a 
turn  of  two  of  green  floss  silk  to  finish  off  and  give  the 
green  tail,  which  is,  in  reality,  a  mass  of  eggs  about  to  be 
deposited  by  the  insect,  and  which  have  that  tinge  ;  legs, 
a  grizzled  blue  dun  hackle  wing,  from  the  rump  of  a  brown 
speckled  game  hen.  This  fly  lasts  but  for  some  ten  days 
or  a  fortnight  in  the  earUer  part  of  April,  though  others  of 
a  similar  species,  with  the  green  pecuharity  at  the  tail,  appear 
later  in  the  season ;  I  have  seen  them  on  thickly  as  late  as 
July.    Hook,  No.  11. 

The  Sedge  Fly. — This  is  a  capital  fly  for  all  the  southern  and 
mid-county  rivers  throughout  the  summer,  and  kills  better 


158  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

later  on  than  now  ;  on  the  Itchen,  Test,  Darent,  and  Kennet, 
it  will  kill  well.  It  much  resembles  the  sand  fly,  but  is  larger. 
The  body  is  of  light  buff  crewel ;  the  hackle  which  runs  from 
tail  to  head  is  a  pale  red — and  a  fine  gold  wire  is  usually  run  up 
over  the  hackle  the  reverse  way  ;  the  wings  are  full,  and  are  a 
starling  under  wing  and  landrail  upper  wing.  Hooks,  Nos.  8 
and  9.  It  is  occasionally  dressed  both  smaller  and  larger 
however. 

The  Quill  Gnat — spent  gnat  in  Hampshire — makes  its 
appearance  late  in  April  and  runs  on  into  May,  and  a  very 
pretty,  useful  little  insect  it  is.  It  may  be  seen  sailing  up  and 
down  in  small  flocks  of  a  dozen  or  two,  as  the  days  grow  milder 
and  the  spring  grows  general,  steadied  in  its  flight  by  its  long 
tail,  which  is  very  long  for  the  size  of  the  insect.  The  hook 
should  be  No.  10  or  11  ;  the  body  composed  of  a  strip  of  the 
quill  from  a  starling's  feather  neatly  rolled  on  ;  legs,  dark 
blue  dun  cock's  hackle  ;  wing,  bright  starling's  wing.  Pull 
the  tail  off  and  the  fly  will  pass  muster  fairly  for  many  other 
small  flies,  which  it  somewhat  resembles,  throughout  the 
season. 

The  flies  which  I  consider  indispensable  for  April,  in  con- 
junction with  those  of  March,  are  the  yellow  dun,  brown 
spinner,  iron-blue  (two  shades)  ;  the  black  and  quill  gnats  ; 
the  sand  fly  or  the  sedge,  the  latter  preferred ;  and,  where 
they  are  abundant,  the  gravel  bed  and  grannom  cannot  be 
omitted. 

May. — The  Stone  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  11,  p.  134)  is  now 
out  in  considerable  numbers  where  it  is  found.  A  few  may 
be  found  towards  the  end  of  April,  but  early  in  May  is  the  most 
favourite  period  for  its  full  appearance.  It  is  used  naturally  by 
daping  or  dibbing  principally,  but  on  windy  days  the  artificial 
fly  will  often  be  found  useful.  This  fly  runs  upon  the  water  as 
easily  and  nimbly  as  on  the  land,  and  with  its  double  wings  up 
may  often  be  seen  half  fluttering,  half  running,  making  its  way 
at  a  rapid  pace  across  the  stream,  seldom  remaining  quiescent 
as  do  so  many  other  flies  when  sitting  on  the  water's  surface  ; 
essaying  a  flight,  for  which  its  heavy  body  is  not  very  favour- 
able, down  it  plumps  on  the  water,  and  away  it  scuttles  at  a 
great  pace  to  the  nearest  bank.  The  angler  may  therefore 
freely  work  his  imitation,  the  liveHness  he  thus  imparts  to  it 
being  perfectly  natural  and  just. 

On  some  rivers  it  is  called  the  May  fly,  but  the  green  drake 
has  a  prior  claim  to  the  title,  though  possibly  not  a  better  one, 


FLIES  FOR  MAY  i59 

as  the  green  drake  seldom  appears  in  large  numbers  until  June 
has  commenced.*  The  female  stone  fly  is  much  larger  than  the 
male,  and  is  the  one  principally  used  by  anglers.  The  hook 
should  be  No.  7,  or  No.  6  may  even  be  used.  Body,  large  and 
full  of  mixed  hare's  ear  and  water-rat  with  a  few  strands  of 
dirty  yellow  mohair  worked  in,  the  tail  part  being  exclusively 
of  a  somewhat  brighter  yellow  ribbed  distinctly  with  yellow 
silk  ;  legs,  a  grizzled  dark  blue  dun  cock's  hackle  ;  tail,  two 
strands  of  a  brown  mallard's  feather ;  wing,  hen  pheasant's 
wing.  The  horns  or  feelers  on  the  stone  fly  are  very  marked, 
and  if  it  be  thought  desirable  to  have  them,  may  be  dressed 
upright  of  two  rabbit's  whiskers.  The  larva  of  this  fly  is  used 
for  fishing  even  more  than  the  fly  ;  it  is  called  the  crab  or 
creeper.     (See  Creeper-fishing.) 

The  Oak  Fly,  called  also  the  cannon  fly,  the  down-hill  or 
down-hooker,  etc.,  from  its  habits  of  always  sitting  with  its 
head  downwards  towards  the  ground.  It  is  amusing  to  see 
with  what  certainty  this  fly  will  assume  this  particular  posture  ; 
no  matter  in  what  way  it  perches  on  post  or  tree,  it  immediately 
wheels  round  until  it  has  taken  up  its  favourite  position,  in 
which  it  remains  until  disturbed. 

This  fly  has  a  very  high  character  from  some  anglers.  * '  Ephe- 
mera "  especially  appears  to  have  been  very  fond  of  it,  and  in 
windy  weather  it  may  prove  an  attractive  lure  ;  on  fine  still 
days,  however,  as  it  is  not  strictly  a  water  fly,  it  is  not  found  so 
plentifully  upon  the  water.  Being  a  largish  fly  it  may  be  used 
advantageously  for  daping  perhaps  ;  I  have  often  tried  the 
imitation,  but  never  did  much  with  it,  even  when  the 
natural  fly  was  abundant  on  the  grass  and  bushes  by  the 
river  side.  However,  as  it  certainly  has  a  high  reputation,  I 
suppose  somehow  and  in  some  places  it  must  have  earned  it, 
so  I  give  it  for  its  legendary  worth,  which  shows  the  value  of 
character,  for  from  my  own  experience  I  should  certainly 
omit  it.  Hook,  No.  9  or  10  ;  body,  orange  floss  silk.  The 
legs  should  be  composed  of  a  furnace  hackle,  i.e.  a  dark  red 
hackle  with  a  streak  of  black  up  the  centre  ;  this  should  be 
tied  in  at  the  tail  and  wound  up  to  the  shoulders,  the  hackle 
should  then  be  snipped  off  short  all  up  the  body,  leaving  visible 
but  spiral  rings  of  the  short  black  stubs.    Enough  of  the  hackle 

*  It  received  the  name  of  May  fly  when  under  the  old  style  (Julian)  calendar, 
the  ist  of  June  represented  what  is  now,  under  the  new  style  (Gregorian) 
calendar,  the  i8th  of  May.  Allowance  has  to  be  made  for  this  change  in 
connection  with  all  ancient  weather  saws,  such  as  St.  Swithin's  day,  "  a 
green  yule."  etc. — Ed. 


i6o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

should  be  left  on  at  the  shoulders  to  form  the  legs.  Wings, 
from  the  woodcock  or  hen  pheasant's  wing. 

The  Little  Blue,  Sky  Blue,  etc.  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  g,  p.  134) . — 
This  is  a  small  dun  which  comes  on  this  month  ;  the  fish  are 
very  fond  of  it,  and  it  would  be  a  very  valuable  fly  to  the 
angler  if  it  were  more  possible  to  imitate  it  properly,  which 
is  a  most  difficult  matter  from  its  diminutiveness  and  extreme 
delicacy  and  transparency.  The  best  way  to  dress  it  is  on  a 
No.  12  or  13  hook  :  for  the  body,  pale  buff  mohair  wound  on 
very  closely  and  neatly,  a  strand  or  two  being  left  out  for  the 
legs  ;  tail,  two  strands  of  a  buff  hackle  ;  wings  of  the  finest 
and  brightest  pale  blue  feather  that  can  be  got — the  tern  or 
sea-swallow  is  chiefly  used,  but  I  think  fine  blue  hackle  points 
would  be  preferable.  Perhaps  the  best  way  is  to  dress  it 
hackle  fashion  or  buzz,  and  to  take  off  nearly  all  the  breast 
portion  of  the  feather,  leaving  the  upper  part  to  do  duty  for 
wings,  and  the  mohair  for  legs.  A  pale  blue  dotterel  hackle 
will  be  found  as  good  a  feather  for  the  purpose  as  can  be 
used.  I  have  been  rather  particular  with  this  fly  as  it  appears — 
or  others  very  similar  to  it  do — at  intervals  until  the  end  of 
the  season.  When  it  comes  on  the  trout  will  often  take  it  for 
some  time  to  the  exclusion  of  many  other  flies  which  may  be 
coming  down  the  water  simultaneously. 

The  Alder  or  OH  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  15).— This  is 
one  of  the  best  flies  that  comes  upon  the  water  ;  it  varies 
considerably  in  size,  and  while  some  specimens  may  be  found 
small  enough  to  be  dressed  on  a  No.  9  hook,  others  may  be 
met  with  large  enough  for  a  No.  6  ;  7  or  8  will  be  therefore 
the  best  medium  sizes.  Body,  large  and  full,  of  a  coppery 
peacock  herl ;  legs,  a  dark  grizzled  blue  dun  or  rusty  black 
cock's  hackle  ;  wings,  from  the  brown  speckled  feather  from 
the  rump  of  a  brown  game  hen.  The  natural  insect  may  be 
used  in  daping.  From  the  middle  of  May  till  the  end  of  June  it 
will  be  found,  particularly  towards  evening,  a  very  useful  fly, 
and  when  it  first  makes  its  appearance  few  flies  are  in  more 
request,  and  dace  and  chub  as  well  as  trout  take  it  very  freely. 
It  was  with  this  fly  I  achieved  the  day's  sport  mentioned  at 
p.  119,  on  the  Kennet,  using  one  of  Ogden's  patterns,  which 
are  the  best  I  know  of. 

The  Pale  Evening  Dun  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  8,  p.  134)  is  a 
rather  light  yellow  dun,  with  a  prevaihng  pale  olive  tinge 
given  by  a  dip  in  onion  dye.  The  spinner  of  this  fly  is  of  a 
very  pale  watery  brown,  legs  light  buff,  and  the  wing  white 


a. 


I 


THE  MAY  FLY  i6i 

and  transparent,  and  neat  and  rounded  in  shape.  It  comes 
on  thickly  on  some  streams  at  dusk.  On  the  Teme,  for  example, 
I  have  seen  it  heavily  on.  As  it  comes  on  at  dusk  it  is  difficult 
to  see  this  fly  on  the  surface,  so  deUcate  and  imperceptible  is  it, 
and  yet,  to  the  angler's  annoyance,  the  trout  will  be  rising 
heavily  without  his  being  able  to  discover  at  what.  There 
are  many  night  flies  which  rarely  show  at  all  by  day,  both 
amongst  the  Ephermeidae  and  the  Phryganidae,  and  this  is  one  of 
them.  It  is  dressed  thus  :  body,  a  dirty  yellowish  buff, 
ribbed  with  light  lemon  silk  hackle,  light  blue  dun-grey  in 
tail.  Tail,  two  whisks  of  the  same  ;  wings,  light  starling 
dipped  in  onion  dye.    Hook,  No.  lo  or  ii. 

The  Little  Yellow  May  Fly. — This  miniature  May  fly  which 
usually  precedes  the  real  May  fly  about  a  week  or  ten  days, 
changes  in  a  few  days  into  a  spinner  of  a  pale-golden  hue. 
It  should  be  dressed  on  a  No.  8  or  9  hook  ;  the  body  of  buff- 
coloured  crewel,  ribbed  with  bright  yellow  silk  ;  tail,  two 
strands  of  buff  hackle  ;  wings,  similar  to  those  of  the  green 
drake,  or  mallard's  grey  speckled  feather  stained  pale  oUve- 
yellow  ;  legs,  a  honey  dun  hackle.  I  have  had  good  sport 
with  this  fly.  It  sometimes  also  makes  a  very  useful  fly  for 
evening  fishing  for  trout. 

The  needful  flies  for  May  are  the  alder  and  the  little  blue. 
The  stone  and  the  pale  evening  dun  and  the  little  yellow  May 
fly  are  not  general,  but  are  useful  where  they  prevail.  The 
list  is  short  because  most  of  the  flies  for  last  month  are  the  best 
for  this. 

June. — The  May  Fly  or  Green  Drake,  called  in  Wales  the 
Cadow  (see  Plate  VIII.  Fig.  i,  p.  134). — This  famous  fly  usually 
makes  its  first  appearance  in  the  last  week  in  May,  but  is  most 
abundant  during  the  first  fortnight  of  June.  The  swarms  of 
May  fly  which  are  found  in  some  rivers  in  favourable  seasons 
are  perfectly  marvellous.  Fish,  birds,  and  other  animals  prey 
n  them  incessantly  from  their  birth,  and  yet  their  numbers 
seem  inexhaustible,  and  after  a  warm  sunny  day  the  quiet 
comers  and  still  eddies  may  be  seen  smothered  with  them  to 
such  an  excess  that  the  angler  might,  if  he  chose,  sweep  them  up 
by  teaboards  full  at  a  time.  It  is  most  abundant  just  before 
its  disappearance,  and  on  the  last  two  days  what  is  called  the 
"  great  rise  "  takes  place,  when  they  come  out  more  thickly 
than  ever,  and  after  this  but  a  few  stragglers  are  seen  ;  and 
the  trout,  for  some  days  gorged  and  glutted  with  the  unwonted 
excess,  are  torpid  and  disinclined  to  move.     In  this  nature 


i62  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

seems  to  assist  them,  as  very  feV  flies  come  on  the  water  im- 
mediately after  the  May  fly. 

The  green  drake  is,  as  I  have  said,  an  imperfect  insect,  the 
female  becoming  the  grey  drake  and  the  male  fly  the  black, 
or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  death  drake,  this  term  being 
used  from  a  foolish  behef  that  it  kills  the  female  or  grey  drake. 
Many  anglers  hold  it  to  be  next  to  useless  to  attempt  to  use 
the  artificial  fly  when  the  May  fly  is  well  on  ;  but  this  belief  is 
very  erroneous,  and  is  more  often  used  to  excuse  themselves 
for  fishing  with  a  blow-line  or  the  live  May  fly  than  because 
it  is  really  the  fact.  The  green  drake  is  no  doubt  a  very 
difficult  fly  to  imitate  well,  but  I  have  seen  many  good  baskets 
of  trout  made  with  the  imitation,  even  in  the  finest  and 
warmest  weather.  The  best  times  to  use  the  imitation  are  of 
course  before  the  trout  are  thoroughly  acquainted  with  it, 
and  daily  before  the  regular  rise  is  fully  established  and  the 
fish  are  settled  down  into  feeding,  and  after  the  rise  slackens 
towards  evening,  when  the  imitation  of  the  grey  drake  may 
be  used  with  some  success  ;  and  if  the  angler  is  industrious 
and  up  to  his  work,  he  may  manage  at  these  times  to  pick  up 
several  brace  of  good  fish.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  if  it  does 
not  answer,  the  angler  can  try  some  other  fly,  when  it  will 
often  happen  that  from  caprice  or  for  a  change,  the  trout  will 
often  take  an  imitation  of  some  other  fly  though  they  may 
refuse  your  imitation  green  drake.  At  such  times  I  have  often 
killed  several  brace  of  fine  fish  with  the  alder,  sedge  fly,  or 
some  of  the  duns  or  spinners  which  may  chance  to  be  on  the 
water,  and  that,  too,  even  when  the  May  fly  is  on  at  the 
thickest  of  the  rise.*  The  angler  should  bear  in  mind  that  while 
fish  are  rising  there  is  always  hope  for  him,  and  it  by  no 
means  follows  that  because  one  fish  refuses  another  will,  or 
because  half  a  dozen  or  even  a  score  of  fish  refuse  that  all  will, 
or  because  they  are  feeding  on  the  May  fly  like  an  alderman 
on  turtle,  that  they  will  refuse  a  sedge  or  alder  any  more  than 
the  said  alderman  will  pepper  or  punch.  Sitting  on  the  bank 
and  watching  the  fish  rise  is  not  the  way  to  catch  them,  and 
perseverance  even  in  the  teeth  of  great  apparent  difficulties 
often  rewards  the  angler  with  fish  which  nothing  else  would 
have  given  him. 

When  the  May  fly  is  only  moderately  on,  the  angler  may 

♦  The  heaviest  trout  I  ever  killed  on  dry  fly  was  in  the  Test  at  Broadlands. 
It  weighed  exactly  6  lb.  The  May  fly  was  on  thick,  but  I  was  fishing  with  a 
sedge. — Ed. 


I 


THE  MAY  FLY  163 

often  get  capital  sport  with  the  artificial  May  fly.  Of  course 
if  the  day  be  blustrous  and  rough  his  chance  is  all  the  better, 
but  even  on  a  calm  day  if  he  can  manage  to  keep  his  fly  floating 
on  the  top  he  may  take  a  good  many  fish.  For  this  purpose 
it  is  of  course  imperatively  necessary  to  fish  with  a  dry  fly, 
and  between  every  cast  the  angler  will  have  to  make  several 
false  casts,  or  casts  in  which  the  fly  does  not  touch  the  water, 
to  shake  the  wet  from  the  fly  and  to  get  it  as  dry  as  possible.* 
To  make  the  fly  float  has  been  the  great  desideratum  with 
fly  dressers.  The  floating  May  flies  of  Mr.  Ogden,  one  of  the 
best  dressers  of  trout  flies  in  England,  have  been  widely 
circulated,  and  they  are,  as  are  all  his  trout  flies,  beautiful 
specimens  of  skill  and  neatness.  They  certainly  do  attract  a 
great  number  of  fish  to  rise,  and  when  the  fish  run  large  so 
that  in  opening  their  mouths  they  take  the  whole  fly  in  a 
gulp  they  are  most  valuable  flies,  but  where  the  trout  are 
small,  as  half  or  three-quarter  pounders,  there  is  this  objection 
to  them — they  are  so  bushy  that  when  a  small  trout  attempts 
to  seize  them  he  is  very  apt  to  run  his  nose  against  some  of  the 
feathers  which  stand  out  from  the  fly  and  to  drive  the  hook 
before  him  instead  of  seizing  it  in  his  mouth,  and  thus  the  fish 
is  often  missed  and  scared  entirely,  when  he  really  rises  fairly 
to  the  fly.  Their  floating  capabilities  are  undeniably  excellent ; 
when  they  get  thoroughly  wet,  however,  they  take  some  time 
to  dry.  The  angler,  in  using  Mr.  Ogden's  green  drakes,  should 
therefore  have  two  or  three  ready  at  the  same  time,  so  that 
one  may  dry  while  the  other  is  fishing ;  with  respect  to  the 
dressing  of  the  fly,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  colours 
and  size  of  many  flies  vary  much  in  different  waters,  so  much 
so,  that  they  might  almost  be  supposed  to  belong  to  different 
species,  t 

The  bodies  of  May  flies  have  been  dressed  of  all  kinds  of 
materials — India-rubber,  crewel,  silk,  quill,  goldbeater's  skin, 
plain  gut,  stained  gut,  cork,  etc.  I  shall  give  two  or  three  bodies 
which  I  think  are  the  best.  The  simplest  is  of  buff  or  ginger- 
coloured  crewel  or  silk  ribbed  with  brown  silk.    At  the  tail 


i 


♦  This  irksome  process  is  quite  unnecessary  if  the  fly  has  been  dipped 
in  parafin  the  day  before  and  the  oil  allowed  to  dry,  which  renders  it  quite 
waterproof. — Ed. 

t  In  1897,  as  an  experiment  on  the  colour  sense  of  fish,  I  had  some  May- 
flies dyed  bright  scarlet  and  sky-blue.  On  2nd  June  I  landed  thirty-one 
trout  and  two  chub  in  the  Gade  at  Cassiobury  with  these  unorthodox  flies. 
Only  one  of  these  trout  weighed  less  than  i  lb.  On  5th  June,  using  similar 
flies,  I  landed  eleven  trout  in  the  Beane  at  Woodhall  Park,  Hertford.  I  kept 
four  brace  of  these  fish  weighing  i6f  lb. — Ed. 


i64  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

end  two  or  three  turns  of  brown  silk  (some  use  peacock  herl) 
should  be  taken  as  there  is  a  brown  patch  at  the  tail.  Over 
a  silk  body  ribbed  thus  Mr.  Blackler,  according  to  "  Ephemera/' 
recommends  a  strip  of  goldbeater's  skin  to  be  tightly  wound. 
This  permits  the  body  colours  to  be  seen  distinctly  through, 
gives  the  glassy  shine  to  the  body,  and  also  prevents  the  body 
from  becoming  heavily  saturated  with  water,  of  course  thereby 
increasing  its  buoyancy.  I  can  quite  imagine  that  this  is  a 
good  plan,  and  I  therefore  give  it  ;  of  course  the  ribbing  silk 
should  go  over  the  skin.  Of  all  the  composition  bodies  I  think 
those  of  cork  are  the  best,  but  they  are  not  usually  dressed  to 
my  fancy.  The  cork  itself  is  not  quite  the  right  colour  of  the 
fly,  and  it  is  usual  to  tie  the  strip  of  cork  round  the  shank  of 
the  hook  by  ribbing  it  with  brown  sewing  silk.  I  recommend  a 
better  plan.  Take  a  strand  of  fine  floss  silk  of  buff  or  ginger 
colour,  and  lay  it  on  tightly  and  thinly  in  open  rings,  allowing 
the  hght  brown  of  the  cork  to  show  between  as  the  ribbing. 
I  think  this  makes  as  good  a  body  as  I  know  of.  The  tail 
should  be  three  strands  of  brown  mallard  feather  or  the  same 
of  a  brown-red  cock's  hackle  ;  the  legs  may  be  of  the  light 
mallard  feather  stained  ginger,  some  say  of  the  same  colour 
as  the  wings,  but  both  body  and  legs  are  always  more  ginger 
or  buff-coloured  and  less  of  olive-green  than  the  wings  ;  a 
smallish  mallard  feather  should  be  selected,  one  not  too  long 
in  the  fibre,  and  it  should  be  dressed  on  the  hook  hacklewise  ; 
the  hackle  of  a  grey-speckled  hen  may  be  thus  stained  and 
used  if  it  be  preferred.  A  plain  ginger  hackle  is  often  used, 
or  the  hackle  of  a  Cochin  hen  ;  I  have  even  seen  a  light  brown- 
red  hackle  used,  and  all  may  be  right  and  all  may  be  wrong 
at  times,  according  to  the  locality. 

And  now  for  the  wings — these  are  the  fly  maker's  hete  noir. 
The  feather  most  generally  used  is  the  grey-barred  breast 
feather  of  the  mallard,  dyed  more  or  less  of  a  pale  olive-green  ; 
another  feather  is  the  similar  feather  of  the  summer  duck  or 
wood  duck,  undyed  or  of  the  natural  hue,  and  this  suits  also 
on  some  waters,  and  this  is  my  fancy.  Some  think  the  barred 
feather  of  the  silver  pheasant's  tail  preferable,  and  in  some 
of  the  Irish  lakes  I  have  been  assured  by  old  practitioners  that 
nothing  can  equal  it ;  but  I  think  it  rather  too  strongly 
marked  for  our  English  rivers,  though  it  has  the  advantage 
of  having  a  fine  glossy  shine  upon  it.  Taking,  however,  the 
feather  of  the  mallard  or  wood-duck,  whichever  we  may  choose 
—or  whichever  we  may  be  able  to  get,  rather — have  it  dyed 


ARTIFICIAL  MAY  FLIES  165 

of  the  shade  you  prefer  :  it  should  be,  as  I  have  said,  of  a  pale 
olive-green.  The  great  object  is  to  keep  your  fly  floating  ; 
the  feathers  should  therefore  be  tied,  not  in  a  mass,  but  two 
single  feathers  of  the  requisite  size  being  selected  they  should 
be  tied  on  back  to  back  with  the  curve  natural  to  the  feathers 
expanding  outwards  ;  the  wings  will  thus,  if  dry,  support  the 
fly  on  the  surface.  The  angler  will  always  do  well  to  have 
one  or  two  different  patterns  in  his  box  (for  they  should  not 
be  squeezed  up  flat  in  a  book  or  their  floating  properties  will 
soon  be  destroyed).  He  should,  moreover,  have  them  of  one 
or  two  different  sizes,  the  hooks  varying  from  Nos.  3  or  4  to  6, 
an-d  being  always  of  the  lightest  and  finest  wire,  and  dressed 
on  good  fine  round  olive-green  gut.* 

Among  the  ordinary  flies  that  are  sold  there  are  not  many 
floating  patterns  better  for  work  than  that  sold  by  Hammond, 
of  Winchester.  The  body  is  a  hght  lemon-coloured  fur,  or  a 
short  fibred  ostrich  herl,  stained  of  the  proper  colour,  and 
laid  on  thinly.  This  is  ribbed  with  fine  gold  wire  or  lightish 
red  hackle,  dressed  from  shoulder  to  tail.  The  tail,  three 
whisks  of  a  dark  blue  (almost  black)  hackle.  Wings,  two 
small  mallard  feathers  stained  of  a  darkish  oHve,  or  two 
brownish  wood-duck  feathers,  and  set  on  back  to  back  over 
the  shoulder  a  couple  of  turns  of  a  grey  partridge  hackle  ; 
but  as  this  is  rather  too  white,  I  generally  dip  it  in  strong  tea 
for  a  few  minutes,  which  takes  off  the  whiteness.  This  is  a 
capital  fly,  and  I  have  killed  many  good  baskets  of  fish  with  it. 
There  is  no  better  pattern  for  the  Hampshire  streams. 

On  many  lakes,  particularly  in  Ireland,  the  May  fly  season 
is  the  only  one  when  really  good  sport  is  to  be  had  with  the  fly. 
The  green  drake  I  chiefly  use  is  one  which  is  of  my  own  fancy. 
I  employ  the  cork  body,  with  floss  silk  rings  previously  men- 
tioned. Instead  of  silk  or  herl  I  touch  the  tail  part  with  shel- 
lac varnish,  as  being  a  much  bjiter  imitation  of  the  brown 
patch  than  either  of  the  others.  Tail,  two  whisks  of  brown 
mallard  ;  legs,  ginger  or  buff  Cochin  hackle  ;  and  wings, 
four  hackle  points,  two  long  and  two  short,  for  the  superior 
and  inferior  wings  or  poisers,  dressed  well  outwards,  so  as  to 
support  the  fly  on  the  water.  These  hackles  should  be  the 
grizzled  and  blue  dun  hackle  found  on  the  Andalusian  cock  ; 
those  which  have  a  brilhant  transparent  point,  on  being  held 
up  to  the  light,  being  preferred  for  the  superior  wings.  They 
should  be  stained  a  pale  yellow,  and  this  on  the  blue  ground 

Flies  for  dry  fisl^ing  are  now  invariably  dressed  on  eyed  hooks. — Ed. 


I 


i66  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

gives  the  exact  tinge  of  the  May  fly  wing.  The  darker  the 
original  feather,  the  more  green  it  will  be,  and  the  Hghter  the 
more  yellow,  and  thus  it  can  be  varied  to  suit  the  river,  as 
the  flies  vary  much  in  colour.  I  do  not  think  this  particular 
hue  is  to  be  got  so  well  in  any  other  way.  The  hackle  point 
being  held  up  to  the  light  gives  a  transparency  which  no  close 
or  solid  feather  will.  To  my  mind,  it  is  a  capital  imitation, 
and  I  am  very  sure,  after  four  years'  experience  of  it,  that  the 
fish  think  so  too,  for  I  have  killed  many  a  good  basket  of  fish 
with  it  when  I  could  not  get  them  to  take  any  other  patterns 
which  I  had  in  my  book.  I  had  several  very  striking  evidences 
of  its  superiority  even  during  the  past  season,  killing  a  large 
quantity  of  fine  fish  with  it.  In  one  instance,  on  the  Kennett, 
I  had  killed  many  fish  with  one.  It  was  rather  worn,  and  after 
lunch  I  was  about  to  change  it,  when  the  proprietor  of  the 
water,  a  very  good  fisherman,  who  knew  his  own  water  exceed- 
ingly well,  advised  me  to  try  in  preference  another  fly  of  a 
different  pattern,  as  better  suited  to  his  fish.  I  took  his  advice, 
and  fished  for  half  an  hour  without  a  rise,  coming  over  many 
rising  fish  in  vain.  At  length  I  bethought  me  of  giving  my  old 
favourite  another  turn,  and  I  changed  back  again,  and  begun 
to  kill  fish  with  it  immediately,  continuing  to  do  so  for  the 
rest  of  the  day.  On  another  river  I  killed  in  one  afternoon 
seven  and  a  half  brace  of  splendid  fish  with  it,  while  my  com- 
panion, who  was  fishing  with  another  pattern,  took  but  a  brace 
of  small  fish.  I  lent  him  one  of  mine,  and  he  lost  it  in  a  good 
fish.  Unfortunately,  I  was  so  short  in  my  stock  that  I  could 
not  supply  him  further.  These  are  facts  which  others  can 
testify  to,  and  therefore  I  mention  them.  It  does  not  float 
so  well  as  the  mallard  wing,  and  it  is  a  very  difiicult  fly  to  get 
properly  dressed.  It  consumes  so  many  hackles,  of  a  rather 
scarce  colour,  that  tackle  makers  often  get  it  a  bad  name  by 
putting  in  any  feathers  that  come  to  hand.  It  is  also  a  very 
troublesome  fly  to  make,  and  the  dressers  don't  care  about 
dressing  it,  and  I  believe  often  bless  me  heartily  for  inventing  it. 
The  Grey  Drake  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  2,  p.  134)  is,  as  I  have  said, 
the  transformation  of  the  female  green  drake,  and  towards 
evening  its  capabilities  are  of  more  value  than  during  the  day. 
It  is  dressed,  as  regards  the  body  and  legs,  much  after  the 
fashion  of  the  green  drake,  but  several  shades  lighter.  The 
wing  feathers,  however,  should  be  of  their  natural  colour,  and 
undyed.  The  legs  are  often  dressed  with  the  same  feather. 
It  is  not,  however,  nearly  §q  ya,liiable  a  fly  as  the  green  drake. 


JUNE  FLIES  167 

though,  as  I  have  said,  useful  for  evening  fishing.  I  never 
did  a  great  deal  of  good  with  it,  preferring  to  use  the  green 
drake  even  in  the  evening. 

The  Coch  y  hondu,  Shorn  Fly,  Hazel  Fly,  Marlow  Buzz, 
Fernwebb,  Bracken  clock,  etc.  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  20,  p.  134), 
by  all  of  which  names  this  little  beetle  is  known  as  a  great 
favourite  with  the  trout.  It  comes  in  with  the  warm  June 
weather,  though  used  as  early  as  March,  as  regards  its  supposed 
imitation.  It  is  advantageously  used  in  daping.  It  resembles 
a  very  diminutive  cockchafer,  and  may  be  seen  in  great 
numbers,  winging  its  heavy  but  rapid  flight  through  the  sun- 
shine, or  settled  on  the  leaves  and  grass  near  the  river  side. 
The  ordinary  way  to  dress  it  is  to  make  a  fat  body  of  dark 
copper-coloured  peacock's  herl,  mixed  equally  with  black 
ostrich.  It  is  customary  to  dress  it  buzz,  as  to  the  wings  and 
legs,  with  a  dark  red  hackle,  with  a  black  streak  up  the  centre. 
Dressed  in  this  way,  it  will  kill  on  most  rivers,  more  or  less, 
throughout  the  season,  though  it  is  needless  to  say  that  it  is 
not  out  save  for  a  somewhat  Hmited  period  in  the  month  of 
June.  As  I  have  stated  elsewhere,  it  may  kill  thus  in  conse- 
quence of  its  bearing  a  resemblance  to  other  insects. 

The  Fern  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  21,  p.  134). — This  is 
another  winged  beetle.  There  are  two  kinds,  the  one  having 
reddish-orange  wing  cases,  and  the  other  blue.  They  are 
well  known  to  children,  from  this  circumstance,  as  "  soldiers 
and  sailors."  They  may  be  found  creeping  up  the  stems  of 
the  grass  and  other  plants  overhanging  the  water.  A  shake  ^Jk/sJ 
dislodges  them,  and  they  fall  helplessly  into  the  water,  where 
they  are  devoured  by  the  fish.  Although  dull  in  its  move- 
ments, and  slow  in  taking  to  flight,  yet  when  it  has  expanded 
its  wing  cases,  and  unfolded  its  wings  (a  very  circumspect  and 
deliberate  operation  with  it),  it  flies  strongly,  and  makes  a  much 
braver  and  larger  appearance  than  it  does  when  it  plumps  up 
against  your  coat  or  hat  or  a  spray  of  grass,  and  folding  up  its 
wings  (always  with  a  little  bit  of  the  under  wing  visible  at  the 
tail  end  of  the  wing  cases,  under  which  it  at  length  is  gathered, 
and  gradually  disappears)  resumes  its  scarabean  appearance  . 
I  have  had  fair  sport  with  this  fly.  The  red  one  is  the  one 
chiefly  imitated  by  anglers.  Hook,  No.  9  or  10  ;  body,  orange- 
yellow  or  orange  crewel ;  legs,  red  hackle  ;  wings,  hen  phea- 
sant's wing  feather.  Some  prefer  dark  starling,  and  some 
dress  the  hackle  over  the  wing,  and  this  serves  both  for  legs  and 
the  wing  cases  and  is  perhaps  the  best  imitation. 


i68  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  Yellow  Sally  should  be  mentioned  here,  as  it  has  a  place 
in  all  angUng  works,  and  a  high  character  with  some  anglers. 
I  have  no  faith  in  it,  however,  and  never  took  fish  with  it  but 
once,  and  although  I  have  often  seen  swarms  of  it  rising,  I 
have  very  seldom  seen  the  trout  much  enamoured  of  it.  A 
straggler  will  be  taken  now  and  then  ;  and  once,  as  I  have 
said,  I  found  the  trout  taking  it  well,  and  others  tell  me  that 
they  have  done  so  likewise.  I  give  the  dressing,  and  the  angler 
can  please  himself.  Body,  pale  yellow  crewel,  ribbed  with  light 
tawny  brown  silk  ;  legs,  pale  lemon-coloured  hackle  ;  wings, 
some  light  transparent  feather,  stained  of  the  palest  watery 
yellow.  A  keeper  once  told  me,  as  a  reason  for  the  fish  refusing 
this  fly,  that  "  they  was  too  bitter  altogether."    Hook,  No.  lo. 

The  Barm  Fly. — This  fly,  which  is  of  the  trichopterous 
order,  and  belonging  to  the  Phryganidse,  is  an  evening  fly. 
I  find  no  mention  of  it  in  any  book  but  Jackson's.  It  is  a 
capital  fly,  and  a  very  general  favourite  in  the  southern  and 
midland  counties.  I  can  speak  to  its  slaughterous  propen- 
sities, having  killed  well  with  it  on  the  Wandle,  the  Darenth, 
and  the  Colne,  where  it  has  a  local  repute,  under  the  name  of 
*'  the  nobbier,"  and  on  the  Itchen,  where  it  is  wrongly  called 
a  sedge,  and  is  dressed  with  a  dark  wing  for  the  evening.  It 
seldom  comes  out  till  dusk  and  thus  has  no  doubt  escaped  more 
particular  notice.*  Body,  fat  and  large,  of  fur  of  a  light 
creamy  brown  hue  ;  hackle  red ;  wing,  dark  speckled  cock 
pheasant ;  hooks,  Nos.  7  and  8. 

The  Foetid  Brown,  or  mushroom  fly,  is  one  of  the  same  order 
and  genus  as  the  last.  It  has  its  name  from  its  emitting  a 
faint  foetid  odour  when  handled.  It  is  not  very  much  appreci- 
ated by  anglers  generally.  On  warm  evenings,  towards  the 
end  of  May,  and  throughout  June  and  July,  it  may  be  seen 
in  small  whisks  or  swarms,  skipping  up  and  down  over  the 
water — now  amongst  the  willows  low  upon  the  water,  now 
high  in  the  air,  seldom  settling,  but  constantly  hovering  over 
the  water.  It  is  a  fine,  fat,  and  tempting  bait,  and  late  in  the 
afternoon,  or  early  in  the  evening,  may  be  seen  thickly  on  the 
water.  Dress  it  on  a  No.  8  or  9  hook ;  body  full,  of  mixed 
hare's  ear  and  water-rat  fur ;    a  few  strands  of  hare's  ear 

*  A  curious  fact  with  respect  to  this  fly  is  that  it  appears  to  take  to  and 
quit  certain  localities  for  years.  On  the  Colne,  when  I  first  became  ac- 
quainted with  it,  it  was  plentiful  and  a  first-rate  killer  for  three  or  four 
years.  It  then  disappeared  for  two  years,  and  the  trout  altogether  refused 
the  imitation.  This  last  season,  however,  it  has  reappeared,  and  now  takes 
there  as  well  as  ever. — F.  F. 


JULY  FLIES  ™™*        169 

picked  out  for  the  legs  on  a  grizzled  blue  dun  hackle  may  be 
used  ;  wings  also  full  and  Httle — stariing  for  the  under  wing, 
and  corncrake  over  it. 

The  Cap  ever  is  another  fly  of  the  same  class  as  the  last.  It  is 
a  large  fly,  and  comes  out  towards  evening,  its  motions  as  it 
flits  up  and  down,  from  the  bank  to  the  water,  justifying  its 
name.  There  is  a  smaller  fly  of  the  same  kind  called  the  skip- 
jack. It  is  dressed  upon  a  No.  7  or  8  hook,  some  using  it  of 
even  larger  size.  Two  turns  of  gold  twist  at  the  tail ;  body, 
brownish  rusty  red  mohair  ;  legs,  red  cock's  hackle,  not  too 
dark  ;  wings,  the  marbled  portion  of  the  hen  pheasant's  wing 
feather.  It  is  in  great  request  in  the  midland  counties,  especi- 
ally on  the  Kennett,  and  I  am  sure  would  make  a  capital  lake 
trout  fly. 

The  flies  necessary  for  June  are  the  green  and  grey  drakes, 
the  sedge  and  alder  being  great  holdfasts.  Duns  and  spinners, 
already  noted,  abound,  and  must  not  be  neglected.  The  foetid 
brown  and  caperer  should  have  a  place  in  the  book  as  a  change 
with  the  alder  and  sedge  for  evenings.  The  coch  y  bondu,  of 
course,  and  the  fern  fly  sometimes  will  be  useful.  Midges  must 
have  a  place  ;  though  seldom  very  useful  now,  they  do  later  on. 

July. — The  Red  and  Black  Ants  are  very  favourite  flies 
during  July  :  they  are  of  course  more  plentiful  on  some  waters, 
and  during  some  seasons,  than  others. 

The  Red  Ant  should  be  tied  on  a  No.  8,  9,  or  10  hook.  The 
body  of  peacock  herl,  left  au  naturel  as  regards  the  lower  or 
tail  half,  and  tied  in  at  the  waist  with  copper-coloured  silk  ; 
the  legs,  a  red  cock's  hackle,  and  wings  of  the  light  shining 
part  of  a  starhng's  feather. 

The  Black  Ant  should  be  tied  similarly,  save  that  the  body 
should  be  composed  of  black  ostrich  and  peacock  herl  mixed 
and  tied  in  at  the  waist,  with  black  silk  ;  legs  black  cock's 
hackle,  and  wings  of  the  darker  portion  of  the  starling's  feather. 

The  House  Fly. — There  is  a  fly  very  similar  in  appearance 
to  the  house  fly,  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  the  same — being  less 
neat  and  more  ragged  in  its  appearance  than  the  house  fly, 
looking  rather,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  like  a  dissipated 
house  fly  out  of  luck — which  is  found  in  the  fields,  and  a  good 
deal  by  the  river  side,  and  on  the  water  during  the  warm 
months.  It  may  at  times  be  used  with  great  advantage,  when 
other  flies  fail ;  and  I  have  had  good  sport  with  it.  It  is  so 
similar  to  the  house  fly,  that  one  dressing  will  serve  both. 
Hook,  No.  9,  body  fat,  and  of  two  or  three  strands  of  any 


170  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

rusty  dark  bluish  feather  from  the  heron's  back,  wound  on  as 
though  it  were  herl.  Tied  in  on  each  side,  at  the  tail,  are  two 
fine  shreds  of  buff-coloured  silk  ;  these  are  brought  up  the 
sides  and  tied  in  when  the  body  is  finished  off,  to  represent  the 
whitish  streaks  along  the  sides  of  the  natural  fly.  Legs,  black 
cock's  hackle  ;  wings,  the  dark  part  of  a  stariing's  wing — 
these  should  be  dressed  as  flatly  as  may  be  convenient. 

The  house  flies  are  more  abundant,  and  kill  better  on  the 
water  towards  the  end  of  the  season,  however,  as  they  are  then 
getting  weak  and  bhnd. 

,.  Hammond's  Adopted. — A  fly  of  the  foetid  brown  kind,  but 
with  lightish  spots  or  markings  on  the  wings,  is  often  to  be  seen 
sporting  like  the  foetid  brown,  and  even  with  it  on  many  rivers  ; 
it  is  the  hrown  skipjack  of  some  localities.  I  do  not  find  it 
noticed  much  in  any  tackle  book,  unless  it  be  the  hght  pied 
dun  of  Theakstone.  I  should  not  dress  it  precisely  as  he  does, 
however,  preferring  dark  hare's  ear  and  mole's  fur  for  the 
body,  a  grizzled  blue  dun  hackle  for  legs,  and  hen  pheasant's 
wing  for  the  wings  ;  hook  No.  8.  I  beheve  this  is  the  same  fly 
as  is  used  at  Winchester,  and  on  the  Itchin,  under  the  name 
of  Hammond's  Adopted,  after  Mr.  Hammond,  the  tackle  maker 
there,  who  does  considerable  execution  with  it ;  and  I  have 
found  his  dressing  capital  for  the  evening,  both  on  the  Itchin 
and  elsewhere.  He  employs  a  medium  brown  crewel  body,  a 
rusty  brown  red  hackle,  dressed  from  tail  to  head,  and  a  hen 
pheasant's  or  woodcock's  wing  feather  for  the  wing.  It  answers 
also  for  the  tribe  of  small  brown  moths  which  come  out  at 
night. 

The  Wrentail,  Brown  Bent,  Froghopper,  Jumper,  etc.  (see 
Plate  VIII,  Fig.  22,  p.  134). — This  little  insect,  of  which  there 
are  two  or  three  varieties,  may  be  seen  in  the  fine  sunny 
weather  sunning  itself  on  the  long  spires  of  grass  ;  when 
disturbed  it  hops  away,  making  a  prodigious  leap  for  so  small 
a  creature  ;  as  it  is  abundant  on  the  river  side,  its  wings 
constantly  leave  it  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  where  the  fish 
eagerly  snap  it  up.  It  is  not  an  easy  fly  to  imitate  ;  the  best 
way  is  to  dress  it  buzz  on  a  No.  12  or  13  hook.  On  a  body  of 
yellow  silk  whirl  a  tomtit's  or  a  wren's  tail  feather,  or  for  a 
change  a  golden  plover  hackle.  If  it  does  not  kill  very  well, 
the  time  when  the  angler  is  obliged  to  use  it  may  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  reason,  as  it  is  chiefly  a  warm  weather  fly, 
and  is  little  seen  save  in  sunshine. 

With  the  warm  evenings  the  moths  come  into  play,  and 


I 

I 


JULY  FLIES  T^MP       171 

though  occasionally  they  may  kill  in  June,  yet  July  is  soon 
enough  to  resort  to  them.    The  best  of  them  is 

The  White  Moth.-^lt  may  be  dressed  either  small,  or  medium, 
or  large.  If  large,  take  a  No.  5  or  6  hook  ;  body,  of  white 
crewel  or  white  ostrich  herl ;  legs,  white  hen's  hackle  ;  and 
wings,  either  a  couple  of  sUps  of  white  goose  feather,  or  a  bit 
of  the  soft  under  wing  of  the  grey  owl.  Small  size  :  dress  on  a 
No.  8  hook,  body  as  before  ;  legs,  a  light  ginger  hackle  ;  two 
feathers  from  about  the  eye  of  the  grey  owl  make  the  prettiest 
wing — in  default,  however,  use  goose.  I  have  seen  these  small 
moths  taken  by  the  trout  in  the  daytime,  and  I  once  saw  a 
trout  chase  one  that  was  fluttering  some  inches  above  the  water 
for  several  yards,  and  end  by  throwing  himself  out  of  the  water 
and  catching  it  in  the  air. 

The  Brown  Moth. — Body,  yellowish-brown  crewel ;  wings, 
speckled  brown  owl ;  legs,  light  brown  hackle. 

There  are  many  other  moths,  of  course,  which  get  upon 
the  water  in  the  evening,  but  these  are  the  best  and  most 
likely  ones  to  take  fish  with. 

About  the  end  of  June,  or  beginning  of  July,  various  midges 
come  upon  the  water,  and  on  them,  early  on  fine  warm  evenings, 
the  trout  are  wont  to  feed  ravenously.  They  are  so  difficult  to 
imitate,  however,  as  to  be  nearly  impracticable.  One  very 
favourite  one  is 

The  Green  Midge,  a  very  delicate  little  insect.  It  should 
be  dressed  onjy  on  the  finest  possible  hooks  and  gut,  with  a 
small  floss  silk  body  of  a  delicate  apple-green  colour,  the 
wings  and  legs  being  dressed  buzz,  with  a  very  fine  soft  pale 
silvery  blue  hen's  hackle. 

The  Blue  Midge  should  be  dressed  like  the  green  midge, 
save  that  the  body  should  be  of  a  pale  slate  hue.  It  is  a  useful 
afternoon  fly. 

Several  duns  find  their  way  to  the  surface  during  this  month. 
I  think  they  are  but  repetitions,  or,  at  any  rate,  very 
near  relations,  of  earher  flies,  as  they  very  closely  resemble 
them. 

The  Ashy  Dun  is  a  lightish  blue  dun,  a  size  or  two  smaller 
than  the  original  blue  dun.  Body,  silvery  grey,  the  colour  of 
ash  bark  ;   wings,  light  starling  ;   hackle,  pale  blue  dun. 

There  are  so  many  flies  on  in  July,  that  it  is  hard  to  say 
which  are  the  best,  many  of  the  May  and  June  flies  being  still 
as  good  as  any  that  can  be  employed.  Of  the  new  flies,  the 
ant  flies  where  they  are  much  found  cannot  be  done  without. 


172  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

moths,  and  the  July  and  ashy  dun  ;    and  the  Phryganidae 
mentioned  are  particularly  valuable. 

The  July  Dun  very  closely  resembles  the  little  iron-blue. 
It  is  perhaps  one  shade  lighter  and  one  size  larger. 

The  Large  Yellow  Dun  (p.  152)  also  comes  on  tolerably 
thickly  at  times. 

The  Black  Silver  Horns  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  ig,  p.  134). — 
This  is  a  curious-looking  trichopterous  fly,  which  may  be  seen 
in  great  numbers  upon  piers,  bridges,  and  such  places.  It 
looks  like  a  small  black  shred.  The  horns,  from  which  it 
derives  its  name,  are  very  remarkable,  being  much  longer 
than  the  body,  and  ringed  alternately  in  black  and  white. 
It  is  a  favourite  with  the  fish,  particularly  in  the  north  of 
France.  Dress  it  on  a  No.  9  or  10  hook,  with  dark  lead- 
coloured  silk  body,  ribbed  with  yellow ;  wings,  of  any  fine- 
grained shiny  black  feather,  dressed  rather  close  ;  legs,  a 
short-fibred  dark  slate-coloured  hackle,  not  too  much  of  it  ; 
and,  if  the  angler  likes  to  add  the  horns,  two  strands  of  a  bright 
speckled  mallard's  feather  will  be  a  capital  imitation.  There 
is  another  which  is  perhaps  a  greater  favourite  still  with  the 
fish,  and  that  is 

The  Brown  Silver  Horns. — The  following  is  the  dressing 
of  one  which  I  took  not  long  since  on  the  Itchin,  when  the 
fish  were  taking  it  well.  Body,  of  rusty  black  ostrich  herl, 
short  in  the  fibre,  and  spun  on  brown  silk.  Along  the  sides 
of  the  fly  are  two  bright  buff  stripes  ;  these  I  leave  to  the 
angler  to  imitate  or  not.  Two  strips  of  straw  would  produce 
the  exact  effect,  but  would  make  the  fly  bulky.  Hackle, 
dark  grizzled  dun  ;  wings  (under),  dark  starling,  (over)  land- 
rail, dressed  as  closely  to  the  body  as  may  be. 

August. — Not  many  new  flies  come  on  the  water  during 
this  month.  Many  of  the  old  ones,  however,  may  be  used. 
The  principal  fly  that  makes  its  appearance  is 

The  August  Dun,  August  Brown,  etc,  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  10, 
p.  134). — A  capital  and  very  general  fly,  somewhat  resembling 
the  March  brown  but  smaller.  Dress  it  upon  a  No.  9  or  10 
hook.  Mr.  Ronalds'  pattern  is  pretty  good — brown  floss  silk 
(he  should  have  added  "  light  ")  ribbed  with  yellow  for  body  ; 
tail,  two  rabbit's  whiskers  (this  is  a  mistake,  rabbit's  whiskers 
are  too  stiff  for  this  purpose,  use  strands  of  the  hackle)  ; 
wings,  from  a  brown  hen's  wing  ;  legs,  red  hackle,  stained 
brown.  Here  is  Jackson's  plan,  rather  different,  but  between 
the  two  the  angler  may  hit  the  fly  off :    Wing,  from  a  young 


AUGUST  FLIES  173 

partridge's  back  or  bright  hen  pheasant's  quill  (?  wing)  or 
grey  goose  breast ;  body,  light  brown  silk,  or  hare's  face 
certainly  not,  it  is  a  smooth-bodied  fly)  ribbed  with  pale  yellow 
silk  ;  grizzled  hackle  ;  tail,  three  strands  of  the  same.  Mr. 
Ronalds  adds  that,  to  dress  it  buzz,  a  grouse  hackle  should  be 
wound  on  the  body.  The  red  spinner,  which  it  changes  to, 
is  very  hke  that  of  the  blue  dun. 

The  Cinnamon  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  16,  p.  134). — This  well- 
known  fly  is  one  more  of  the  Phryganidae,  and  by  no  means 
the  worst  of  them.  It  is  something  hke  the  sedge  fly  and 
strongly  resembles  the  sand  fly  ;  it  is,  however,  a  size  larger, 
and  rather  more  ruddy.  Body  of  dark  straw-coloured  silk  ; 
legs,  a  hght  or  dirty  brown  hen's  hackle  with  a  darkish  centre 
— wing,  any  reddish  cinnamon-coloured  feather,  or  yellowish 
hen  landrail  or  owl,  says  Jackson  ;  the  yellow-brown  hen's 
wing,  says  Ronalds.  It  is  a  capital  fly,  particularly  for  the 
evening.  There  is  another  very  large  fly  of  this  species  which 
seldom  comes  out  till  almost  dark,  when  it  may  be  found 
running  rapidly  about  on  bridges  and  such  places.  It  should 
be  dressed  like  the  sand  fly  on  a  No.  6  hook.  For  lake-fishing 
it  will  be  found  excellent.  The  wings  should  be  large  and  full, 
the  tips  of  two  partridge  tail  feathers  or  any  whole  small 
feather  of  the  same  colour  being  used.  The  late  blue  and 
yellow  duns  with  their  spinners,  mentioned  m  the  last  month, 
are  still  found  in  abundance,  and  will  form  the  principal 
attractions  for  the  fish. 

The  Cow-dung  Fly  (p.  146)  dressed  small  also  kills  well. 

The  Needle  Brown  (p.  147)  is  now  very  plentiful,  and  on 
many  rivers  is  a  first-rate  favourite. 

Very  diminutive  and  pale  yellow  and  blue  duns,  almost 
impossible  to  imitate  from  their  smallness  and  delicacy,  are 
greatly  favoured  by  the  fish. 

The  Large  Yellow  Dun  (p.  152)  may  also  be  found  in  small 
numbers. 

The  angler  will  have  to  rely  upon  many  of  the  flies  previously 
noted  for  August.  The  only  new  ones  that  are  indispensable 
are  the  August  dun,  the  cinnamon,  and,  where  it  is  found,  the 
needle-brown. 

September. — There  are  not  many  new  flies  this  month, 
though  there  are  a  great  abundance  and  variety  at  times  on 
the  water. 

The  Whirling  Dun  is  a  very  noted  fly,  and  I  have  found 
it  kill  well  in  the  evening.    As  the  way  in  which  I  have  seen 


174  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

it  dressed  in  Hampshire,  where  I  have  chiefly  used  it,  differs 
from  both  Ronalds  and  "  Ephemera,"  and  they  differ  some- 
what from  each  other,  I  shall  give  the  three  dressings. 
Ronalds  :  Squirrel's  red-brown  fur  mixed  with  yellow  mohair, 
and  tied  with  yellow  silk  well  waxed  ;  tail,  two  strands  of 
ginger  hackle  ;  wings,  darkish  starling  ;  legs,  ginger  hackle. 
"  Ephemera  "  substitutes  water-rat  fur  for  the  body,  and 
dun  hackle  for  the  tail  and  legs.  In  Hampshire,  the  body  is 
made  of  the  dirty  blue  feather  of  the  heron's  hackle  or  wing 
used  as  a  herl,  or  some  other  feather  of  that  hue,  and  warped 
with  yellow  silk  ;  legs,  dun  hackle  with  a  grizzled  dark- 
brown  tinge,  or,  if  this  cannot  be  got,  a  brown-red  ;  tail,  the 
same  ;  and  this  is  the  dressing  which  I  prefer  ;  hooks,  Nos.  lo 
and  II.  The  spinner  of  this  fly  resembles  the  common  red 
•spinner. 

The  Willow  Fly  (see  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  13,  p.  134)  much  re- 
sembles the  needle  brown,  and  like  it  belongs  to  the  neurop- 
terous  flies  of  the  family  Perlidae.  It  is  seen  on  warm  days  at 
intervals  through  the  winter.  Mr.  Ronalds  recommends 
it  to  be  dressed  buzz.  Body,  mole's  fur  spun  on  yellow  silk ; 
wings  and  legs,  a  dark  dun  cock's  hackle,  strongly  tinged  of  a 
copper  colour  ;  hook.  No.  10  or  11.  In  Devonshire,  it  is 
called  the  "  old  besom,"  elsewhere  it  is  almost  universally 
known  as  the  willow  fly. 

Many  small  and  delicate  duns  come  on  during  this  month, 
but  the  angler  will  have  good  imitations  in  his  book  from  the 
list  already  given  ;  and  though  his  best  sport  will  still  be  had 
in  the  evening,  yet  an  occasional  raw  and  gusty  day  may 
come  to  the  angler's  aid,  and,  with  a  gentle  tinge  of  colour 
from  rain  on  the  water,  aid  him  in  making  up  a  decent  bag. 
September  is  usually  a  better  month  for  the  fly-fisher  than 
August — the  fish  seem  to  rise  better  ;  but  for  the  evening  the 
sedge,  cinnamon,  barm  fly  (or  nobbier),  Hammond's  adopted, 
and  flies  of  that  class,  with  the  moths,  will  be  found  the  chief  bill 
of  fare.  Earlier  in  the  evening  various  spinners  and  duns — 
particularly  the  whirling — and  on  a  windy  dull  day,  the  willow, 
with  any  special  fancy  of  the  angler's,  must  suflice  for  his 
repertoire  from  now  to  the  end  of  the  season. 

There  are  many  other  flies  given  by  good  authorities,  but 
to  describe  them  all  would  be  an  endless  task.  I  have  there- 
fore only  added  a  few  general  flies  which  are  tried  and  well- 
deserved  favourites,  which  may  resemble  something  on  or 
in  the  waters,  but  what  that  something  is  one  can  hardly 


VARIETY  RECOMMENDED 

probably  they  resemble  various  insects,  larvae  of  beetles, 
or  flies,  spiders,  etc.,  to  some  extent,  and  hence  their  favour 
with  the  fishes.  These  flies  will  kill  more  or  less  throughout 
the  season.  The  angler  who  cannot  kill  fish  with  the  hst  I 
have  furnished  will,  I  fear,  find  angling  unprofitable.  Any 
good  angler  would  kill  with  half  of  them.  I  doubt  if  I  use 
more  than  a  score  of  flies  in  the  season.  The  flies  most  in 
favour  with  me,  and  which  are  by  far  the  best  of  all  for  the 
angler  to  place  his  hopes  upon,  are  the  duns  and  their  changes 
the  spinners.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  stream  where  from  one 
end  of  the  season  to  the  other  some  of  these  deHcate  little 
flies  will  not  be  found  to  kill,  therefore  the  angler  should  always 
he  provided  with  a  good  stock  and  variety  of  them.  There  is  a 
great  number  of  them,  of  various  shades  and  sizes,  but  the 
angler  will  greatly  simpHfy  matters  if  he  will  act  according 
to  the  following  advice  : — 

Have  two  sizes  of  each  fly — let  the  largest  be  dressed  on  a 
No.  10  hook,  and  the  smallest  on  a  No.  12  or  smaller  if  required. 
Of  blue  duns  he  should  have  four  shades — very  dark  for  the 
iron-blue  ;  a  shade  lighter  for  the  later  swarms  of  that  fly ; 
next,  the  ordinary  blue  dun,  and  lastly,  a  hght  pale  blue  dun, 
almost  silvery.  The  three  darkest  of  these  shades  should  be 
ribbed  with  fine  yellow  glovers'  silk  ;  the  hght  one  need  not  bei 
The  wings  and  hackles  should  keep  pace  with  the  bodies  in 
shade.  Of  yellow  duns  the  angler  should  have  one  size  only 
of  the  large  yellow  dun  previously  mentioned  ;  the  common 
yellow  dun,  one  size  ;  a  fighter  buff-coloured,  two  sizes  ;  a 
lighter  still  of  almost  a  grey  silk,  two  sizes  ;  and  one  with  an 
apple-green  body.  If  he  chooses  further  to  vary  these  shades 
by  running  one  into  the  other  or  by  even  medium  tints  of 
olive,  yellow,  and  green,  so  much  the  better.  The  ohves  vary 
a  good  deal,  and  most  of  these  have  darkish  wings  and  yellowish 
legs.  One  or  two  of  these  flies  have  very  clear  wings,  particu- 
larly the  fighter  ones,  and  should  be  dressed  buzz.  Of  spinners 
the  angler  should  have,  of  the  red,  two  sizes  ;  the  brown,  two 
sizes;  a  lighter  brown,  two  sizes.  As  I  have  already  said,  next 
to  these  are  the  Phryganidae,  a  small  selection  of  which  must 
not  be  neglected. 

With  these  flies  in  his  book  he  need  not  fear  to  venture  on 
almost  any  stream  ;  of  course  there  are  times  when  other 
flies,  which  are  prime  favourites  when  they  come  on,  will 
kill  better.  I  shall  presently  give  a  short  fist  of  flies,  as  they 
are  requisite  to  a  tolerably  complete  equipment. 


176  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

GENERAL   FLIES 

Of  the  general  flies  which  are  most  useful  to  the  angler,  and 
which  he  will  find  it  very  advisable  to  have  a  stock  of,  there 
are,  first. 

The  Francis  Fly. — It  may  seem  egotism  in  me  to  place 
this  fly  first  on  the  list ;  but  since  its  invention,  from  the 
accounts  I  have  had  of  its  qualifications,  from  all  parts  of  Great 
Britain,  from  various  parts  of  Europe,-  and  indeed  from  all 
quarters  of  the  globe  where  Salmonidae  are  found,  it  certainly 
appears  to  have  gained,  as  I  hope,  a  well-earned  reputation. 
I  first  found  it  kill  well  on  the  Welsh  rivers,  where  I  tested  it 
severely  against  the  far-famed  coch  y  bondu ;  and  in  what- 
ever position  it  was  placed,  whether  as  stretcher  or  dropper, 
it  killed  above  three  fish  for  one  killed  by  the  coch  y  bondu. 
I  therefore  brought  it  into  pubHc  notice,  and  it  was  greatly 
favoured  ;  but,  neglecting  it  for  a  season,  I  did  not  use  it  much  ; 
by  accident,  however,  I  tried  it  subsequently  in  other  quarters 
with  the  greatest  success,  and  since  that  time,  wherever  I 
have  gone,  I  have  found  it  an  unfailing  resource  when  many 
other  favourites  failed.  It  should  be  dressed,  of  course,  to 
suit  the  water  :  small  for  light  waters,  and  large  for  heavy 
waters  or  for  evening  fishing.  I  have  killed  well  with  it  dressed 
on  a  No.  ii  or  12  hook,  and  equally  well  (where  it  was  suitable) 
on  a  7,  8,  or  9.  The  body  is  composed  of  copper-coloured 
peacock's  herl,  ribbed  distinctly  with  copper-red  silk  ;  hackle, 
medium  blue  dun  ;  wings,  two  hackle  points  of  a  grizzly 
blue  dun  cock's  hackle  (not  a  hen's),  set  well  up.  It  is  an 
excellent  evening  and  night  fly  dressed  on  a  No.  7  or  8  hook, 
owing  to  the  lively  and  attractive  play  of  the  hackle  point 
wings.  Dressed  large  it  kills  sea  trout  well,  and  it  has  even 
slaughtered  many  a  lordly  salmon  ;  while  I  have  seen  large 
numbers  of  it,  dressed  like  some  huge  moth,  sent  out  to  India 
to  kill  mahseer  amongst  the  Himalayas. 

The  Coachman. — This  is  one  of  the  best  evening  and  night 
flies,  particularly  in  the  midland  and  southern  rivers,  that  I 
know  of  ;  and  even  in  the  daytime  it  kills  well  on  some  streams. 
Hook,  No.  9,  10,  or  II  ;  body,  peacock  herl ;  legs,  red  cock's 
hackle  ;  wings,  any  small  white  feather,  or  shp  of  the  same.  I 
suppose  that  the  contrast  of  the  dark  body  and  white  wings 
renders  it  easily  perceived  by  the  fish,  hence  its  attractiveness 
from  May  till  the  end  of  the  season. 


GENERAL   FLIES  177 

Hofland's  Fancy. — This  is  another  very  useful  fly,  and 
should  be  dressed  of  two  sizes,  Nos.  10  and  12.  Body,  dark 
brown-red  silk  ;  wings,  hen  pheasant  or  woodcock's  wing  ; 
legs,  red  cock's  hackle  ;  tail,  two  strands  of  the  same.  It  is 
very  useful  on  fine  waters,  having  a  partial  resemblance  to 
several  small  flies. 

The  Governor. — This  is  a  very  useful  fly  on  many  waters, 
particularly  in  the  metropoHtan  district,  where  its  use  is 
almost  general.  I  usually  have  three  sizes  of  this  fly  by  me  ; 
it  is  dressed  of  all  sizes,  from  a  No.  7  to  a  No.  10  or  11  hook. 
It  is  useful  by  day  tied  small,  and  as  an  evening  fly,  on  a  No.  7 
hook.  Body,  peacock's  herl,  dressed  full  and  finished  off  at  the 
tail  with  two  or  three  turns  of  bright  orange-yellow  floss  silk. 
It  is  sometimes  an  improvement  to  add  some  gold  twist,  and  I 
have  done  good  work  with  it  with  a  fine  ribbing  of  gold  twist ; 
legs,  red  cock's  hackle  ;  wing,  hen  pheasant's  wing  ;  with  a 
grey  drake  wing  it  makes  a  capital  late  evening  fly.  The 
original  is,  I  believe,  not  a  fly,  but  a  beetle. 

The  Edmead. — This  is  a  fly  which  is  a  good  deal  used  about 
the  midland  districts.  Originally  it  was  dressed,  I  believe, 
with  a  bluish  body,  but  the  red  body  has  been  found  to  kill 
best.  It  is  a  red-spinner  body  and  hackle,  with  a  grey  drake 
wing,  dressed  on  about  10  or  11  hook. 

In  the  north  they  have  a  fly  called 

GreenwelVs  Glory.* — It  kills  well  on  all  the  northern  streams, 
and  I  am  greatly  mistaken  if  it  will  not  kill  equally  well  in  the 
south.  Hook,  No.  12  or  13  ;  body,  dark  olive  silk,  thickly 
ribbed  with  very  fine  gold  wire  ;  legs,  a  small  dark  coch-y- 
bondu  hackle  (red  with  black  centre  and  tips)  ;  wings,  wood- 
cock's wing.  Dressed  on  the  smallest  possible  hook,  it  kills 
well  in  the  hottest  weather. 

The  Grouse  Hackle. — A  capital  hot-weather  fly  dressed 
hacklewise  on  a  No.  11  or  12  hook,  with  a  smalls  hen  grouse 
hackle,  and  a  yellow  silk  body  with  one  turn  of ^ gold  tinsel 
at  the  tail. 

The  Partridge  Hackle. — Dressed  similarly  to  the  last  fly, 
but  with  a  grey  partridge  hackle  and  a  lemon  silk  body. 

The  last  two  flies,  with  the  next  one,  and  a  black  gnat, 
perhaps,  will  fill  a  basket  on  any  mountain  beck  or  trout 
bum  in  heather  districts.  They  may  be  used  a  size  or  two 
larger  if  necessary. 

*  Designed  by  the  late  Canon  Greenwell,  of  Durham,  who  is  also  the 
eponymus  of  the  Greenwell  salmon  fly,  a  favourite  on  the  Tweed. — Ed. 


178  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

Soldier  Palmer. — A  capital  fly  in  warm  weather,  particularly 
when  the  water  is  a  httle  coloured.  Hook,  No.  9,  10,  or  11  ; 
body,  bright  red  crewel,  ribbed  with  gold  thread  ;  legs  and 
wings,  a  bright  red  cock's  hackle,  struck  from  tail  to  head.  I 
usually  have  two  sizes  of  this  fly  in  my  book  ;  it  is  always 
well  worth  a  trial  if  the  angler  is  at  a  loss  towards  evening, 
and  if  there  be  a  scarcity  of  fly. 

I  cannot  pass  over  this  branch  of  my  subject  without 
noticing  the  flies  used  by  Mr.  Stewart.  He  principally  employs 
six,  three  of  which  are  termed  spiders,  and  three  winged  flies. 
Their  sizes  are  from  No.  12  to  15  of  the  Kendal  or  round  bend 
hooks ;  and  they  are  dressed  sparely,  with  very  little  body 
and  not  too  much  hackle.  The  spiders  are  merely  hackle  or 
buzz  flies,  and  are  of  three  kinds. 

1.  The  Black  Spider. — This  is  made  with  the  small  feather  of  the 
cock  starling,  dressed  with  brown  silk. 

2.  The  Red  Spider  is  made  with  the  small  feather  taken  from  the 
outside  of  the  landrail's  wing,  dressed  with  yellow  silk. 

3.  The  Dun  Spider  is  made  from  the  small  soft  dun  or  ash-coloured 
feather  taken  from  the  outside  of  the  dotterel's  wing,  faihng  that 
from  the  inside  wing  of  the  starling. 

The  winged  flies  are  as  follows  : — 

1.  A  woodcock  wing,  with  a  single  turn  of  red  hackle  or  landrail, 
dressed  with  yellow  silk  freely  exposed  in  the  body.  For  coloured 
water  it  may  be  dressed  with  scarlet  thread. 

2.  Hare  lug  body,  with  a  corn  bunting  or  chaffinch  wing ;  a 
woodcock  wing  may  be  put  to  the  same  body,  but  should  be  made 
from  the  small  light-coloured  feather  from  the  inside  of  the  wing. 

3.  Woodcock  wing  with  a  single  turn  of  a  soft  black  hen  hackle, 
or  a  small  feather  taken  from  the  shoulders  of  the  starUng,  dressed 
with  dark-coloured  silk. 

Mr.  Stewart  adds  that,  by  varying  the  wings  and  body, 
a  great  number  of  killing  flies  may  be  made,  but  he  pins  his 
faith  upon  the  above  six  patterns  ;  and  certainly  with  these 
flies  varied  in  size,  and  with  the  assistance  of  worm,  minnow, 
and  larva,  there  are  few  more  successful  anglers  in  the  south 
of  Scotland  or  on  the  Border  than  Mr.  Stewart. 

I  here  subjoin,  to  simphfy  matters  for  the  young  angler, 
a  list  of  flies  which  I  find  sufficient  usually  for  all  general 
purposes,  and  which  I  do  not  like  to  be  without  : — 


LAKE  TROUT  FLIES 


179 


Duns  and  spinners,  as  before- 
mentioned,  of  various  shades. 

The  March  brown. 

The  cow-dung. 

*The  gravel  bed  (this  is  only 
indispensable  where  it  is  found). 

The  black  grat  and  quill  gnat. 

The  alder. 

Green  and  *grey  drakes. 

The  coch-y-bondu. 

The  sedge  fly. 

♦The  blue  and  green  midges. 

The  red  and  black  ants. 


The  August  dun. 

The  cinnamon. 

*The  needle  brown. 

The  willow  fly. 

♦The  barm  fly. 

The  white  and  ♦brown  moths. 

The  Francis. 

The  governor. 

The  coachman. 

Hammond's  adopted. 

The  Hcfiand's  fancy. 

The  soldier  palmer. 

The  grouse  and  partridge  hackles. 


The  flies  with  a  star  against  them  are  those  which  the 
angler  may  best  venture  to  omit  if  he  finds  even  this  Hst  too 
long.  The  remainder  I  look  on  as  indispensable  for  general 
work.  Of  course,  if  the  angler  knows  and  fishes  any  particular 
river,  he  may  get  through  the  season  well  enough  perhaps  with 
a  bare  dozen  of  flies.  If  he  wanders  at  all,  he  will  do  well  to 
have  all  the  above  flies,  and  specially  and  particularly  the 
duns  and  spinners.  Most  people  have  preferences,  and  I 
have  mine,  and  if  I  were  to  choose  the  two  flies  which  I  do  most 
with  in  the  course  of  a  year,  I  would  select  the  alder  and  the 
yellow  dun  in  various  shades,  and  next  to  them  the  blue  dun 
sedge,  soldier  palmer,  and  the  governor. 


LAKE  TROUT  FLIES 


These  flies  are  legion,  each  lake  and  each  professor  on  that 
lake  having  his  own  varieties,  which  are  not  governed  by  any 
rules  but  those  of  fancy,  and  being  imitations  of  nothing  in 
nature,  the  patterns  are  endless.  I  shall  give  a  few  which 
I  know  to  be  general  killers — more  particularly  in  Scotland, 
though  no  doubt  equally  good  all  over  the  kingdom. 

The  most  favourite  wings  are  dark  mallard  and  the  barred 
feather  of  the  teal ;  to  these  may  be  wedded  almost  any  body 
and  legs  and  they  will  kill  more  or  less. 

The  size  very  much  depends  on  the  depth  of  the  water, 
but  from  5  or  6  to  8  or  9  hooks  will  be  about  the  range,  though 
smaller  are  often  used. 

I.  Teal  wing  ;  red  cock's  hackle  from  head  to  tail ;  a  dirty  rusty 
black  silk  body,  with  or  without  gold  thread. 


i8o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

2.  Teal  wing  ;  black  silk  body,  black  cock's  hackle  from  head  to 
tail,  and  silver  thread.    An  excellent  fly. 

3.  The  same  with  mallard  wing. 

4.  Mallard  wing  ;  claret  mohair  body  ;  claret  hackle  (a  shade  or 
two  lighter)  ;  gold  thread.  This  may  be  varied  slightly  and  ad- 
vantageously with  a  red  or  a  black  cock's  hackle. 

5.  Mallard  wing  ;  fiery  brown  mohair  body  ;  black  hackle  and 
gold  twist. 

If  there  be  salmon  about  the  last  four  flies  of  sea  trout  size  will 
often  rise  them. 

6.  Teal  wing ;  orange  crewel  or  floss  body ;  red  hackle,  gold 
thread. 

7.  Wing  from  jay's  wing,  of  pale  bluish  tinge  and  darkish  towards 
the  butt ;  body  and  hackle  as  in  No.  i. 

8.  Wing  as  in  the  last  fly  ;  body,  dark  blue  silk  ;  fine  silver  twist, 
and  black  hackle.  May  be  varied  with  an  orange-yellow  silk  body, 
and  gold  twist.    A  good  sea  trout  fly. 

9.  Wing  as  before  ;  body,  hare's  ear  and  water-rat  fur  mixed — 
hare's  ear  predominating,  and  picked  out  for  legs. 

10.  Body,  olive  mohair,  with  fine  gold  wire  ribbing  ;  golden 
olive  hackle — that  is,  greenish  olive  to  appearance,  but  golden 
when  held  up  to  the  light ;  wing,  a  Hghtish  bit  of  jay's  wing.  This 
is  a  celebrated  fly  in  Ireland,  where  it  is  known  as  the  "  Golden 
olive."    It  may  be  varied  with  a  black  hackle  or  a  teal  wing. 

I  have  no  special  beHef  in  these  fancy  flies — they  may  kill 
or  they  may  not.  The  soldier  palmer  is  about  the  only  fancy 
fly  I  ever  use  on  lakes,  and  that  I  rarely  fish  without.  But  I 
generally  find  a  March  brown,  a  blue  dun,  a  red  spinner,  an 
August  dun,  a  red  fly,  a  caperer,  very  often  a  small  green 
or  grey  drake,  and  the  white  moth,  or  some  well-known  and 
marked  fly,  kill  on  almost  any  lake  as  well  as  the  best  and 
most  favourite  local  monstrosities  that  can  be  selected  ;  and 
I  have  fished  on  a  great  many  wild  lakes  in  Ireland,  Scotland, 
and  Wales,  and  could  nearly  always  do  as  well  as  my  neigh- 
bours, and  often  better.  I  generally  commence  with  a  March 
brown  and  a  soldier  palmer  and  seldom  want  to  change.  If  a 
change  be  needed,  orange  and  grouse,  or  blue  dun,  or  black  and 
teal  should  do  the  business. 

Since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  published,  the 
Rev.  H.  Ainslie  has  written  to  me  enclosing  patterns  of  six 
lake  flies  for  use  upon  any  large  rough  lake.  These  flies  are 
admirable  in  appearance,  and  are  evidently  the  handiwork 
of  a  master  ;  they  have  been  well  tested  on  many  of  the  larger 
Scotch  lakes.  From  this  gentleman's  remarks  I  extract  the 
following  : — 


■ 


REV.  H.  AINSLIE'S  FLIES  i8i 

Dear  Sir, — 

First,  I  wish  to  endorse  what  you  say  on  p.  232  of 
your  new  work,  viz.,  that  fish  may  be  taken  on  the  Scotch 
lakes  with  most  of  the  usual  English  river  flies.  Of  these 
I  prefer  the  yellow  dun,  the  red  spinner  (great),  the  soldier, 
black  gnat,  black  palmer,  and  alder  (I  take  these  from  Ronalds), 
and  I  have  used  these  with  great  success  in  perfectly  still 
water,  or  with  the  shghtest  curl.  But  for  rougher  water — 
and  the  Scotch  lakes  are  ordinarily  rough  enough — I  use  larger 
flies,  and  I  enclose  you  patterns  of  my  especial  favourites. 

Nos.  I,  2,  3  are  irresistible ;  4,  5,  6  are  nearly  as  deadly. 

Referring  to  the  ten  flies  described  by  you  on  pp.  232,  233, 
I  find  your  No.  4  somewhat  similar  to  my  No.  2,  of  which  I 
should  say  the  body  ought  to  be  a  bright  red  ;  it  is  much 
more  deadly,  as  I  have  often  proved,  but  I  have  not  one  in  my 
possession  quite  to  my  liking.  My  No.  i  is  your  alternative 
of  No.  10.  I  have  used  both  dressings,  and  can  affirm  that  teal 
wing  kills  six  to  one  of  the  Ught  jay.  It  is  true  to  nature,  for 
I  have  often  caught  the  natural  fly,  of  which  it  is  a  good 
representation.  My  No.  3  is  excellent,  especially  in  cold 
rough  weather  and  rain.  I  use  it  two  sizes  larger  on  Loch 
Awe,  and  find  it  most  persuasive.  No.  4  is  a  very  useful  fly, 
and  I  sometimes  use  it  with  a  brighter  and  lighter  yellow 
body  with  gold  twist.  It  is  admirable  on  fine  clear  water. 
No.  5  is  more  kiUing  in  rough,  but  not  cold  weather  ;  and  No.  6 
is  local,  only  suited  to  some  lochs  high  up  on  the  moors. 

I  don't  know  whether  the  woodcock  wing  feather  or  the 
teal's  is  the  more  kilhng.  I  can  only  say  that  with  these 
flies  I  can  reckon  on  six  dozen  per  diem,  and  have  killed  as 
many  as  ten  dozen  in  half  a  day.  I  wish  when  you  have  an 
opportunity  you  would  give  them  a  trial. 

Very  faithfully  yours, 

H.   AiNSLIE. 


The  following  is  the  dressing  of  each  of  these  flies  : — 

1.  Body,  medium  green  crewel,  fine  gold  thread  ;  hackle,  a  rusty 
coch-y-bondu,  with  very  little  red  showing  ;  teal  wing  ;  tail,  two 
fibres  of  the  golden  pheasant  sword  feather. 

2.  Body,  dark  red  crewel ;  black  hackle  ;  teal  wing  ;  a  turn  of 
gold  tinsel  at  tail ;  tail,  fibres  of  gold  pheasant  ruff. 

3.  Body,  dirty  reddish  brown  (about  the  colour  of  tolerably  used 
leather),  well  ribbed  up  with  gold  thread  ;  hackle,  a  brownish  red, 


i82  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

with  a  little  black  at  the  head  ;  tail,  two  fibres  of  sword  feather  ; 
wing,  woodcock's  wing. 

4.  Body,  a  lightish  yellow  rather  thinly  laid  on  ;  hackle,  a  sandy 
red  ;  tail,  two  fibres  of  red  parrot ;  a  turn  of  gold  tinsel  at  tail ; 
wing,  woodcock. 

5.  Body,  lower  half  lightish  yellow,  upper  scarlet,  ribbed  with 
gold  thread  ;  hackle,  a  brown  red  with  dark  centre  ;  tail,  two 
fibres  of  sword  feather  ;  wing,  woodcock. 

6.  Body,  bright  medium  blue  well  ribbed  with  fine  gold  tinsel ; 
tail,  two  fibres  of  red  hackle  ;  dressed  buzz,  with  the  small  blue 
barred  feathers  of  the  jay  ;  wing,  with  most  fibres  on  the  wing, 
those  on  the  breast  being  clipped  slightly. 

In  Nos.  I,  2,  4  and  5,  the  wool  is  picked  out  a  little. 

All  the  hooks  are  of  the  round  bend,  and  the  numbers  run  from  5 
to  7,  but  the  shanks  are  shorter  than  they  are  in  my  scale  by  a  full 
quarter  of  an  inch  or  more. 

Here  are  half  a  dozen  patterns  for  Welsh  lakes.  They  are 
the  pets  of  Llyn  Ogwen,  and  were  sent  me  by  an  artist  of 
note  who  dwells  on  the  banks  ;  they  are  beautifully  tied,  and 
will  be  useful  on  any  of  the  Welsh  lakes. 

1.  Orange  mohair,  gold  tinsel  and  grouse  hackle  (buzz). 

2.  Black  ostrich  heil,  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  ;  sUps  of  a 
clearly  specked  grouse  feather  for  the  wing. 

3.  Copper-coloured  peacock  herl ;  red  hackle,  stained  orange, 
with  a  black  butt  or  bottom  to  it  (buzz). 

4.  Copper-coloured  peacock  herl ;  black  hackle  ;  light  starhng 
wing. 

5.  Black  ostrich  herl  and  silver  thread ;  black  hackle  ;  medium 
starhng  wing. 

6.  Body  and  tinsel  as  in  No.  5  ;  hackle  stained  bright  red  of  a 
lake  colour  ;  wing,  dark  starling  or  blackbird. 

These  flies  are  small,  and  are  dressed  on  No.  11  and  12 
hooks,  but  they  can  be  enlarged  to  suit  the  taste  and  fancy 
of  the  angler  or  the  fish. 

With  the  Hst  I  have  given,  and  the  following  list  for  the 
west  of  Ireland  lakes  and  streams,  more  particularly  in  Kerry, 
and  which  were  sent  me  by  Haynes  of  Cork,  and  are  beautifully 
tied,  the  lake  angler  may  consider  his  quiver  full  even  to 
repletion.    I  describe  the  flies  as  I  find  them  in  the  parcel : — 

1.  Is  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  common  blue  dun.  Blue 
dun  body  ;  ditto  hackle  ;  and  starhng  wing,  two  whisks  for  tail. 

2.  Is  a  small  March  brown. 

3.  Is  the  August  dun. 

4.  Medium  orange  floss  body  and  gold  thread  ;  black  hackle  ; 
medium  starling  wing  ;    mallard  whisks  for  tail. 


IRISH  LAKE  FLIES 


183 


5.  Body,  tail,  tinsel,  as  in  No.  4 ;  light  blue  dun  hackle,  and 
light  starling  wing. 

6.  Body  and  tail  as  before,  but  with  no  tinsel ;  dark  brown 
hackle,  and  wing  from  speckled  feather  of  partridge's  tail. 

7.  Black  floss  body,  and  fine  silver  thread  ;  black  hackle  ;  dark 
starling  wing  ;  two  whisks  of  grey  mallard  for  tail. 

8.  A  turn  of  gold  tinsel  at  tail  ;  tail,  two  brown  mallard  whisks  ; 
body,  rufous  (red  hair  colour)  ;  red  hackle,  and  medium  starling 
wing. 

9.  Tinsel  and  tail  as  before  ;  cinnamon  silk  body  ;  medium  brown 
hackle,  dressed  buzz  rather  long  and  spidery. 

10.  Tail  and  tinsel  as  before  ;  body,  lemon-yellow  floss  ;  hackle 
as  in  No.  9,  with  fibres  from  the  speckled  feather  of  a  partridge's 
tail  for  wing. 

11.  Blue  dun  body,  tail,  and  hackle,  with  silver  thread  over  body, 
and  fibres  from  grouse  or  woodcock  hackle  for  wing. 

12.  Tail  and  tinsel  as  before  ;  body,  soft  brown  fur,  watei -rat's 
probably,  left  rough  for  legs  ;   starling  wing. 

These  flies  are  on  No.  10, 11,  and  12  hooks. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ON    LAKE-FISHING 
Lake-Fishing — Daping — The  Creeper — ^The  Beetle — ^The  Worm 

IN  lake-fishing,  the  modus  operandi  will  depend  very  much 
upon  whether  the  angler  fishes  from  a  boat  or  from  the 
shore.  In  the  first  event,  his  task  is  a  comparatively  easy 
one,  as  he  will  drift  along  with  very  little  use  from  the 
paddles  more  than  is  required  to  keep  the  boat  straight  and  the 
proper  distance  from  the  shore.  He  will  rarely  paddle  himself  ; 
but  if  he  should,  he  will  need  to  know  something  of  the  shores 
of  the  loch  and  where  the  trout  frequent.  If  he  has  a  boatman, 
the  boatman  will  probably  know  the  best  spots  to  go  to,  and 
the  lay  of  the  trout. 

It  is  always  desirable,  in  a  boat,  to  cast  in  towards  the  shore. 
The  distance  the  boat  must  be  kept  from  the  shore  will  be 
entirely  determined  by  the  weeds,  and  by  the  precipitous 
nature  or  otherwise  of  the  shores  of  the  lake.  The  most 
advantageous  depths  at  which  the  trout  will  be  found  to  He, 
run  from  two  to  five  or  six  feet ;  beyond  this  the  water  will  be 
probably  too  deep  for  the  trout  to  see  conveniently,  and  to  rise 
from  at  the  fly.  On  a  calm  evening,  however,  the  best  trout 
will  often  be  found  lying  close  in  to  the  shore  with  their  backs 
almost  out  of  the  water,  and  here  they  will  take  fly  after  fly, 
with  scarcely  more  motion  than  a  trout  of  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
would  be  supposed  to  make  ;  but  in  these  calm  evenings  don't 
be  deceived,  brother  piscator,  by  the  very  little  disturbance  they 
make  when  rising  close  in  shore.  Approach  softly  and  cast 
deftly,  your  quarry  may  be  but  a  three  or  four-inch  fry,  but  it 
may  be  a  rattling  two-pounder,  and  if  you  go  carelessly,  all  you 
will  see  of  him  will  be  a  severe  wave  bowHng  off  and  widening 
away  into  the  middle  of  the  loch,  and  ''  Confound  it  1  what  a 
whopper  !  "  if  you  be  an  ordinary  kind  of  angler,  or  "  Dear  me  ! 
what  a  remarkably  fine  fish  !  how  very  unfortunate  !  "  if  you 
be  particular  in  language,  will  be  your  farewell  to  him,  whereas 

184 


NEVER  FISH  WHEN  LAZY  185 

Ith  caution  he  might  have  been  tempted  to  carry  your  hook 

ith  him. 

Some  people  think  that  it  matters  not  in  lake-fishing  how 
rou  cast,  for  that  it  is  a  lazy  careless  sort  of  sport,  to  be 
carried  out  anyhow  ;  but  remember  this,  friend  student,  if  a 
thing  be  worth  doing  at  all  it  is  worth  doing  well,  and  if  a  little 
extra  care  will  put  you  a  brace  or  two  of  unusually  fine  fish 
above  the  careless  angler  who  has  simply  scared  a  brace  or  two 
of  big  ones  by  bungling  casting,  rowing,  or  walking,  you  will  own 
that  the  triumph  is  not  only  deserved  but  worth  reaping.  When 
you  feel  tired,  careless,  and  bored,  leave  off,  smoke  your  pipe, 
eat  your  lunch,  and  contemplate  the  scenery  until  you  see  some 
good  fish  move  and  you  become  keen  and  eager  again.  If  you 
do  not,  it  is  a  hundred  to  one  that  you  regret  it,  for  somehow 
it  is  always  when  you  are  thus  lazy  and  careless  that  the  big 
ones  seem  to  find  it  out,  and  to  take  advantage  of  you  ;  and 
just  as  you  are  thinking  least  of  fish  and  fishing,  and  have 
mechanically  cast  your  fly  out  to  its  full  extent,  when  the  point 
of  the  rod  is  well  down,  up  he  comes,  perhaps  with  a  splash  that 
frightens  you  out  of  your  wits.  You  strike  hurriedly  and  five 
times  as  hard  as  you  ought  to  do,  and  all  the  harder  because  the 
stroke  comes  from  the  butt  instead  of  from  the  top.  A  heavy 
fish  and  light  tackle,  with  a  hard  strike  tells  its  story  ;  and 
away  goes  your  pet  fly,  and  you  have  no  other  of  the  same 
pattern  within  five  miles — 

The  waters  wild  close  o'er  the  child, 
And  you  are  left  lamenting. 

And  serve  you  right,  too.  Oh,  yes,  put  up  another  fly  in  a 
hurry,  and  fish  away  as  hard  as  you  can,  of  course,  for  the  next 
half-hour ;  he  is  sure  to  come  to  you  again,  isn't  he  ?  And 
then  you  come  home  and  find  that  Jones,  who  isn't  half  as 
good  a  fisherman  as  you  are,  and  is  only  patient  and  pains- 
taking, has  a  couple  of  much  better  fish  than  any  you  have. 
"  Ah  !  if  you'd  only — but  no  matter,  you  won't  be  had  in  that 
way  again."  Perhaps  not.  Nous  verrons.  I  hate  a  .lazy 
fisherman. 

If  the  weather  be  calm  do  not  neglect  the  windward  shore, 
as  in  the  very  curl  of  the  small  wave  you  will  often  get  a  pull 
from  the  very  best  fish.  If  there  be  a  streak  of  foam,  as  there 
usually  is  on  brisk  days,  pitch  your  fly  into  it  and  you  will  often 
be  rewarded,  as  many  flies  get  entangled  in  the  froth  and 
cannot  get  out  of  it  :  the  fish  know  this  well.    (I  forget  where 


i86  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

I  have  read  this  advice — I  fancy  it  is  Stoddart's — but  it  is  good 
advice).*  If,  however,  the  weather  be  rough,  you  will  be  com- 
pelled to  fish  the  leeward  shores.  Avoid  the  places  where  the 
rocks  are  precipitous  and  the  shores  steep,  and  choose  the  little 
sandy  bays  and  pebbly  strands  ;  fish  the  edges  of  weeds  or 
reeds  very  carefully — they  are  favourite  harbours  for  the  best 
fish.  Wherever  you  see  little  islets  of  rocks  or  cairns,  by  no 
means  pass  them  without  a  trial.  If  trees  border  the  loch, 
under  them  will  be  found  the  scaly  prey  waiting  for  whatever 
heaven  or  the  wind  may  send  them  by  shaking  the  leaves. 
Where  streams  and  rivulets  enter  the  lake,  you  should  be 
particularly  sedulous  in  your  attentions,  as  here  you  will  be 
sure  to  find  sport  of  the  best.  If,  when  in  a  boat,  you  hook  a 
good  fish,  remember  that  the  first  thing  he  will  inevitably  do  is 
to  dart  off  the  shallow  into  the  deeper  water  ;  take  care  that  in 
doing  so  he  does  not  dart  under  the  boat,  as  not  unfrequently 
happens.  Nothing  is  so  absurd  as  to  see  a  stalwart  angler  with 
his  rod  perfectly  upright  and  the  fish  gone  under  his  feet.  You 
have  not  the  least  power  over  a  fish  that  has  served  you  so  ;  and 
if  the  boat  be,  as  the  boat  of  the  Celt  too  often  is,  ragged  as  to 
her  bottom,  with  rusty  nails,  a  broken  sheathing,  etc.,  your 
line  will  probably  be  cut,  or  if  only  hung  up,  what  with  poking 
it  clear  and  other  expedients,  the  line  will  be  so  frayed  as  to  be 
useless.  If  the  boat  does  not  catch  it  something  else  may,  and 
probably  when  you  get  all  clear  again  you  will  find  that  the 
errant  fish  has  left  your  stretcher,  and  possibly  the  dropper  too, 
fast  in  a  lump  of  tough  mossy  weed  fathoms  below,  and  is  him- 
self "  Liber  et  exultans  ardet  piscis  in  aquis."  Always  contrive, 
if  possible,  to  keep  the  fish  under  the  point  of  the  rod,  and 
never,  as  far  as  it  can  possibly  be  avoided,  under  the  butt.  The 
rod  must  be  nearly  upright  when  the  fish  is  gaffed  or  netted, 
but  that  is  the  only  time  when  it  should  be  so.  Take  care,  too, 
when  the  fish  is  gaffed  or  netted  and  dropped  into  the  boat,  to 
loosen  your  fine  or  drop  the  point  or  the  sudden  call  on  the 
top  may  snap  it.  Knock  the  fish  on  the  head  at  once 
for  many  reasons,  and  waste  no  time  in  admiration,  for 
when  they  are  **  in  the  humour "  is  the  time  to  "  take 
them.'' 

In  lake-fishing  I  have  found  the  greatest  advantage  at  times 

in  making  the  drop  fly  skim  and  dib  along  the  surface  of  the 

water  as  it  comes  towards  you.  This  you  cannot  well  manage 

on  a  stream,  but  on  a  lake  in  still  water  it  will  often  be  found 

♦  It  is  in  chapter  iv  of  Stoddart's  Angler's  Companion. — Ed. 


K 


BEWARE  OF  FIRE  !  187 

"  very  successful."  Indeed,  on  a  dropper  worked  thus,  I  have 
often  taken  three  or  four  fish  for  one  to  the  stretcher.  In 
fishing  from  the  shore,  say  outside  a  piece  of  weed,  look  out 
sharply  when  the  dropper  trips  up  thus  towards  the  edge  of  the 
weed,  and  it  will  often  prove  irresistible  to  the  best  fish. 
Remember  that,  though  you  have  no  stream  in  a  lake,  you  have 
wind,  with  which  the  flies  will  drift  just  as  naturally  as  they  will 
in  a  stream  ;  and  it  is  not  advisable,  if  you  can  avoid  it,  to  draw 
your  flies  against  it,  as  it  is  unnatural,  and  will  challenge 
attention  and  often  scare  the  best  fish,  though  small  ones  may 
not  mind  it. 

In  fishing  from  the  shore,  you  will  often  have  to  wade.  If 
the  wind  be  blowing  sharply  along  the  shore  you  fish,  get  it  at 
your  back  and  walk  cautiously  on,  a  step  at  a  time,  casting 
outwards  first,  and  then  in  the  segment  of  a  circle,  the  last  cast 
terminating  almost  on  the  shore.  Then  take  another  step,  or 
perhaps  two,  and  repeat  the  process,  making  as  little  disturb- 
ance as  you  can  ;  but  always  look  well  to  your  footing,  and  feel 
your  way  onward,  or  a  big,  round,  or  slippery  stone  will  bring 
you  suddenly  to  grief. 

If  you  be  a  smoker,  brother  angler,  take  care  (and  this  will 
apply  equally  perhaps  to  river-fishing)  to  knock  the  fire  quite 
out  of  your  pipe  before  you  pocket  it,  or  you  may  chance  to  do 
as  I  did  once  when  wading  along  the  strand  on  that  prince  of 
lakes.  Lough  Melvin.  I  was  having  great  sport,  and  fancying 
my  pipe  was  out,  popped  it  hastily  into  my  pocket  without 
consideration.  After  a  time  I  smelt  an  unpleasant  smell  of 
burning.  At  first  I  thought  it  but  the  smoke  from  something 
burning  on  the  land,  and  paid  no  attention  to  it.  Presently  my 
thigh  warned  me  of  a  sensation  of  heat ;  I  thrust  my  hand  into 
my  pocket — it  was  on  fire.  I  hastily  turned  out  the  contents. 
My  pocket  was  in  large  holes  ;  the  coat  even  was  singed 
through,  my  handkerchief  destroyed,  and,  worse  than  all,  the 
extreme  edge  of  my  tackle-book  singed  smartly.  When  I  came 
to  inspect  it,  "0  dies  miser ahilis !  "  ten  or  a  dozen  beautiful 
exquisitely  fine  new  casting-lines,  of  a  delicate  amber  colour, 
done  up  in  coils  of  eight  or  ten  inches  circumference  (which  I 
had  laid  in  for  my  campaign,  but  three  days  previously,  at 
Farlow's),  were  just  burnt  through — only  just — in  one  spot, 
thus  reducing  the  whole  of  them  to  irreparable  and  useless 
fragments.  Oh,  the  trouble  I  had  in  picking  those  lines  !  for 
I  am  very  particular  and  choice  in  my  trout-casts.  I  sent  for 
more,  but  I  could  not  replace  those  I  had  lost ;   and  to  this 


i88  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

day,  of  course,  I  believe  that  there  never  were  any  others  equal 
to  them. 

Some  lakes  are  what  are  called  "  free  rising  lakes  "  ;  others 
are  but  moderately  so,  the  fish  being  more  capricious  and 
apparently  shyer,  and  sport,  though  sometimes  good,  is  less 
certain  in  them.  These  lakes  often  have  better  fish  than  the 
"  free  risers."  Some,  again,  are  termed  "  sulky  lakes,"  and  are 
very  hard  to  get  fish  from  at  all,  though  occasionally,  but 
rarely,  splendid  sport  will  be  had  on  them.  I  have  dealt  rather 
fully  upon  the  rationale  of  this  in  my  former  work  upon  Fish 
Culture,  and  I  make  no  doubt  but  the  reasons  I  have  there 
given  are  the  correct  ones.  It  is  a  question  altogether  of  food 
and  the  depth  of  the  water.  On  many  lakes  there  is  but  one 
time  in  the  year  when  you  get  anything  Uke  sport,  and  that  is 
when  the  May  fly  is  on.  The  Westmeath  lakes.  Lough  Erne, 
and  Lough  Arrow,  in  Sligo,  are  excellent  examples  of  this  latter 
pecuharity.  In  the  former,  particularly,  sport  to  any  extent, 
except  at  this  time,  is  exceptional.  When  the  May  fly  is  on, 
the  sport  is  often  splendid,  the  fish  running  very  large.  At 
other  times  the  fish  do  not  seem  to  think  it  worth  while  to 
come  to  the  surface  at  all,  the  flies  they  find  there  probably 
not  being  sufiicient  in  size  and  number  to  tempt  them  up. 
When  these  large  flies,  however,  are  rising,  the  fish  follow  them 
up  to  the  surface,  and  are  kept  there  by  the  plenty  they  find 
there.  At  other  times,  such  is  the  abundance  and  choice  of 
food  in  the  depths  of  the  lakes  that  they  can  fill  their  bellies 
with  very  little  trouble,  and  without  the  necessity  for  leaving 
the  bottom.  Thus  they  grow  fat,  lazy,  and  large.  As  an 
instance  of  this,  I  will  quote  a  fact  mentioned  by  Colonel  Whyte 
some  time  ago  in  the  Field.  The  colonel  stated  that  he  had  a 
small  lake  which  formerly  held  a  quantity  of  nice  fish.  They 
were  not  very  large,  but  very  free  in  rising,  and  he  could  take 
a  good  number  of  them  almost  whenever  he  chose  to  go  a-fish- 
ing.  Wishing  to  try  whether  the  introduction  of  fresh  food 
would  improve  their  size  and  condition,  he  turned  into  the  lake 
a  good  quantity  of  the  small  freshwater  snails  and  other  small 
molluscs  which  are  found  in  many  waters,  but  hitherto  had  not 
been  present  in  this  lake.  These  molluscs  took  well  to  the  lake, 
and  multiplied  rapidly.  As  they  did  so,  the  fish  increased  in 
size  and  improved  wonderfully  in  condition,  becoming  from 
slim  genteel  trout  perfect  miniature  pigs  with  fine  pink  flesh  ; 
but  mark  the  consequence — as  they  improved  in  size  and 
condition,  they  gradually  left  off  rising  to  flies,  so  that  where  he 


SULKY  LAKES  189 

was  able  formerly  to  bag  his  couple  of  dozen  with  the  fly,  he 
now  finds  it  difficult  even  to  bag  one.  Now,  here  is  a  hint  as 
regards  lakes,  which  proprietors  might  act  on  if  they  choose,  for 
other  species  of  food  might  be  thus  introduced  besides  molluscs, 
and  without  spoiling  the  rising  of  the  fish.  But  as  I  have  dealt 
with  all  this  elsewhere,  I  only  refer  to  it  here  to  point  out  that 
when  the  fish  are  thus  shy  it  is  because  they  find  too  much  food 
at  the  bottom  to  trouble  their  heads  with  what  goes  on  at  the 
surface.  In  the  moderate  lakes  this  is  only  partially  the  case, 
and  there  is  yet  some  species  of  fly  or  insect  perhaps  of  sufficient 
size  and  attraction  to  tempt  them  to  the  surface  occasionally. 
What  it  may  be  of  course  has  all  to  be  discovered.  So  far  these 
matters  are  almost  a  closed  book  to  us. 

Now,  if  the  trout  are  too  much  engaged  on  the  bottom  to 
come  or  even  look  at  the  top,  manifestly  the  only  chance  the 
angler  has  is  to  seek  them  on  their  own  terms  at  the  bottom, 
and  he  must  either  fish  with  a  float  and  worm  or  minnow,  as 
recommended  by  Stoddart,  or  I  recommend  him  to  try  the 
plan  which  I  have  already  mentioned  for  deep  still  holes  and 
mill  heads,  where  the  trout  are  equally  indisposed  to  come  to 
the  surface  ;  he  must  select  a  tolerably  large  fly  (the  choice 
must  be  left  to  his  own  judgment),  bite  a  good-sized  split  shot 
on  the  gut  just  above  the  head  of  the  fly,  where  it  will  look  like 
a  natural  head  and  neck,  then  cast  his  line,  and  let  it  sink  as 
near  to  the  bottom  as  he  can  judge,  without  hanging  in  the 
weeds,  etc.,  and  then  draw  it  towards  him,  and  upwards,  by 
short  pulls  and  jerks,  and  he  will  probably  get  a  tremendous 
pull  for  his  pains,  when  he  will  do  his  best  to  pull  too.  A  single 
gentle,  or  maggot,  or  caddis  added  to  his  lure  by  sticking  one 
on  the  bend  of  the  hook,  will  increase  its  temptations  ;  or  if  he 
likes  to  abjure  a  body  and  have  nothing  but  hackle  and  wings, 
and  to  put  two  gentles  on  in  place  of  it,  he  will  probably  get 
some  good  fish  if  he  perseveres  with  his  "  sinking  and  draw- 
ing." Of  course,  if  he  makes  half  a  dozen  or  a  dozen  casts,  and 
then  gets  tired  of  it,  throws  it  up,  and  says,  "  It  is  of  no  use,"  it 
will  be  of  no  use.  It  must  be  tried  fairly  ;  for  big  trout,  even 
in  sulky  lakes,  are  not  to  be  found  over  every  yard  of  the 
bottom,  and  still  less  disposed  to  feed  at  any  or  every  hour  of 
the  day.  In  many  sulky  lakes  the  trout  only  rise  well  after 
dark,  when  admirable  sport  may  often  be  had. 


L 


190  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

ON  DIBBING  OR  DAPING 

Fishing  with  the  natural  fly,  or,  as  it  is  termed,  dibbing  or 
daping,  ranks  next  to  fishing  with  the  artificial  fly.  It  is  a 
much  simpler  process,  but  requires  a  great  deal  of  nicety.  The 
easiest  style  in  which  to  use  the  natural  fly  is  with  the  blow- 
line,  but  the  blow-line  is  hardly  fair  fly-fishing  ;  indeed, 
dibbing,  more  especially  with  the  May  fly,  is  so  destructive 
when  worked  by  an  adept,  that  it  is  more  then  a  question 
whether  it  should  be  held  fair  fishing  at  all.  However,  as  many 
clubs  and  good  anglers  do  follow  and  profess  it,  and  as  in  many 
lakes  it  yields  almost  the  only  sport  got  from  them,  I  will  e'en 
treat  of  it. 

The  blow-line  is  thus  employed.  The  line  is  composed  of 
the  lightest,  loosest,  and  airiest  floss  silk — so  web-hke  that 
the  least  puff  of  wind  will  drive  it  before  it.  Light  and  loose  as 
it  is,  it  has  abundant  strength.  The  rod  used  generally 
resembles  the  mast  of  a  fishing-smack,  being  of  the  Ughtest 
cane,  but  as  long  as  it  can  be  obtained  or  worked.  It  generally 
runs  to  nineteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  often  beyond  that.  As  a 
foot-line  or  cast,  there  is  some  two  feet  or  more  of  very  fine  gut, 
and  a  hook  to  match.  On  this  hook  is  impaled  a  live  May  fly. 
Put  the  hook  into  the  thorax  about  the  throat,  and  bring  it  out 
again  just  below  the  wings.  Some  anglers  use  two  flies,  and 
two  hooks  are  then  employed,  tied,  not  back  to  back,  but  side 
to  side,  and  then  opened  wide  enough  to  get  the  two  flies  on 
comfortably  ;  I  do  not  commend  the  plan  as  it  makes  too  bulky 
a  bait.  The  angler  then  chooses  that  bank  of  the  stream  whence 
the  wind  is  blowing,  and  walks  up  the  bank  ;  when  he  sees  a 
good  fish  rise,  he  turns  his  back  to  the  wind,  faces  the  fish,  lets 
out  line  enough  just  to  clear  the  ground — holds  the  rod  per- 
fectly upright,  and  allows  the  wind  to  take  the  fine  out  over  the 
river,  which,  if  but  a  very  moderate  breeze  is  on,  it  will  do 
easily.  When  it  is  bellied  out  half-way  or  three-parts  across 
the  stream,  judging  his  distance  carefully,  the  angler  slowly 
lowers  the  point  of  the  rod,  so  that  if  he  has  measured  his 
distance  pretty  rightly  the  fly  will  light  where  or  whereabouts 
the  fish  is  rising,  and  a  little  above  it  of  course,  and  as  the  fly 
can  be  lowered  on  to  the  water  au  naturel  like  thistledown,  and 
by  the  skilful  working  of  the  rod-point  can  be  made  even  to  skip 
and  flutter  up  and  down  on  the  surface  like  the  natural  insect 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  most  rabid  and  demonstrative  liberty, 
and  as  no  line  need  be  visible,  and  nothing  need  touch  the 


■■ 


I 


FISHING  WITH  NATURAL  FLY  191 

water  but  the  fly,  if  a  fish  be  taking  (as  most  fish  are  when 
the  May  fly  is  on)  and  the  angler  be  anything  but  a  bungler, 
a  rise  should  be  almost  a  certainty.  When  a  fish  rises  at  a  fly 
give  him  time  enough  to  get  the  fly  into  his  mouth  before  you 
strike  ;  as  the  May  fly  is  a  largish  fly,  the  trout  will  possibly  not 
take  the  entire  fly  quite  in  his  mouth  at  the  first  gulp,  but  sucks 
it  in  slowly,  and  a  strike  then  may  eventuate  in  the  hook  coming 
away  without  the  fly,  and  a  scared  fish.  I  have  often  known 
this  to  be  the  case,  and  were  it  not  for  the  misses  the  fish  would 
have  a  bad  chance  against  the  blow-line  ;  but  a  miss  or  two  of 
this  kind  soon  renders  them  wide-awake,  and  I  have  seen  a 
blow-line  worked  over  a  mile  of  stream  where  lots  of  fine  fish 
were  rising  at  the  May  fly  without  hooking  a  fish.  Of  course 
the  angler  must  do  his  best  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  the  sharp- 
eyed  fish,  or  even  the  best- worked  blow-line  will  fail  in  its 
effect,  and  as  the  length  of  rod  and  line  employed  is  rather 
limited,  this  is  not  always  easy.  In  fishing  a  lake  the  boat  is 
allowed  to  drift  with  the  wind,  and  the  rises  are  fished  in  much 
the  same  way  as  in  a  river. 

By  far  the  more  skilful,  and  the  more  diflicult  plan  of  using 
the  live  fly,  however,  is  to  employ  only  the  ordinary  fly-rod, 
and  with  about  three  yards  of  the  very  finest  gut,  and  a  fine 
wire,  No.  7  straight  bend,  short-shanked  hook,  to  cast  the  fly 
as  though  it  were  but  an  imitation.  In  the  action  of  casting  a 
good  deal  of  care  and  practice  are  required,  or  the  fly  will  whip 
off  to  a  certainty.  Then  in  guiding  the  fly  down  over  the 
stream,  it  is  necessary  not  to  check  it,  or  it  immediately 
becomes  entirely  immersed  ;  and  after  this  has  happened  two 
or  three  times  the  wings  will  most  likely  become  wet  and  the 
fly  will  be  useless. 

Having  baited  the  hook  as  in  blow-line  fishing,  let  out 
rather  more  line  than  the  length  of  the  rod  (the  angler  will 
soon  find  out  how  much  he  can  manage),  take  the  line  about 
ix  or  eight  inches  above  the  hook  between  the  finger  and  thumb 
of  the  left  hand,  wave  the  rod  and  the  bagged  line  backwards 
and  forwards  once  or  twice  to  g^t  the  spring,  and,  if  possible, 
to  wait  for  a  shght  air  or  puff  of  wind  (it  is  needless  to  say  that 
it  is  very  desirable  to  get  the  wind  in  your  favour  in  this  kind 
of  fishing),  then,  as  you  intend  to  cast,  raise  both  hands  before 
you  as  though  casting  the  fly  with  both  hands,  as  it  were, 
towards  its  destination  ;  at  the  proper  moment,  when  the 
impulse  is  given  (and  this  exact  moment  nothing  but  experi- 
ence will  tell)  let  go  of  the  line  and  cast  softly,  and  without  jerk 


192  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

or  violence  of  any  kind,  towards  the  point  aimed  at  (say  a  yard 
above  a  rising  fish),  and  if  the  cast  be  deftly  made  the  fly  will 
fall  Hke  nature  itself  on  the  surface,  and  the  light  fine  gut  will 
also  be  extended  upon  it.  No  motion  of  drawing  towards  the 
rod  or  angler  must  be  made,  or  the  line  will  make  "  centipedes  " 
on  the  water,  and  the  fly  be  drowned.  The  stream  must  bear  it 
along  the  surface  without  check  or  motion,  the  angler  following 
the  fly  down  with  the  point  of  the  rod  and  a  loose  line.  When  a 
fish  rises  give  him  time  to  turn  his  head,  and  then  strike  firmly 
but  not  heavily,  and  get  on  terms  with  your  fish  as  soon  as  you 
can.  When  the  swim  is  over  you  can  pull  out  and  cast  again, 
and  be  sure  and  get  the  fly  off  the  water  as  expeditiously  as 
possible,  but  without  violence — of  course  there  is  no  necessity 
to  take  the  line  'twixt  finger  and  thumb  again.  Cast  as  in 
artificial  fly-fishing,  but  with  less  force  and  abruptness,  and 
cause  the  line  to  describe  more  of  a  circle  behind  you,  as  the 
slightest  "  flick  ''  or  "  crack  *'  will  necessitate  putting  on  a  new 
fly.  At  every  cast  you  may  let  out  a  foot  or  two  of  line,  until 
you  get  out  as  much  as  you  can  cast.  I  have  seen  anglers  who 
could  cast  near  a  dozen  yards  of  line  with  a  live  fly  at  the  end, 
with  the  slightest  air  or  wind  behind  them.  A  long,  light,  and 
especially  a  pliable  rod  (more  particularly  at  the  top)  is  required 
for  this  kind  of  fishing  ;  and  though  it  is  very  deadly,  it  is  not 
equal,  of  course,  to  the  blow-line,  while  it  affords  as  much  sport 
as,  and  requires  more  skill  than,  casting  with  the  artificial  fly  ; 
but  it  has  its  drawbacks.  It  is  "  finicking,**  fidgetty  work.  The 
constant  renewing  of  the  flies,  and  the  great  care  required  in 
casting,  the  necessity  for  avoiding  carefully  every  leaf  and  twig, 
make  it  a  troublesome  business  at  the  best,  though  it  is  almost 
always  in  suitable  weather,  when  practised  by  an  adept, 
productive  of  a  good  basket.  In  May  fly  fishing,  of  course,  one 
of  the  requisites  is  a  good  supply  of  fine  fresh  green  May  flies — 
the  greener  or  yellower  the  better.  Eschew  as  much  as  possible 
the  black  and  shiny  transformation,  as  the  fish  greatly  prefer 
the  freshly-hatched  insect ;  these  it  is  most  desirable  to  have 
caught  on  the  morning  of  fishing  if  possible.  They  should  be 
kept  in  a  small  basket  made  for  the  purpose,  and  sold  at  many 
tackle-makers'  ;  this  is  semicircular  in  form,  like  a  soldier's 
canteen,  in  fact,  and  has  a  lid  and  an  aperture  whence  the  flies 
can  be  taken  as  they  are  required.  The  basket  is  strapped  to 
the  waist  by  a  leathern  strap,  and  thus  can  be  arranged 
wherever  it  may  be  found  most  convenient  to  the  hand. 
There  are  many  other  natural  flies  and  insects  that  can 


I 


DAPING  193 

be  used  in  daping,  as  the  stone  fly,  the  alder  fly,  the  blue- 
bottle, the  daddy  longlegs,  the  coch-y-bondu,  the  cinnamon, 
etc.,  in  fact,  almost  any  fly  that  is  large  enough  to  be  stuck 
upon  a  hook  will  answer  the  purpose.  For  the  smaller  flies  it 
is  customary  to  use  a  smaller  hook,  and  to  put  two  flies  upon 
it  ;  but  with  such  flies  it  is  more  customary  to  use  a  longish 
rod,  and  to  dib  in  over  bushes  or  from  behind  some  sheltering 
tree,  or  any  other  cover  where  the  angler  can  conceal  himself. 
Here,  haply,  where  overhanging  branches  cast  a  shadow  on  the 
water  in  the  hottest  weather,  the  big  fellows  lie  close  in  to  the 
bank  under  which 

....  beneath  the  tangled  roots 

Of  pendent  trees,  the  monarch  of  the  brook 

has  his  abiding-place  :  you  see  him,  as  it  were,  standing  at  his 
front  door  in  the  receipt  of  custom,  and  rising  gently  at  every 
fly,  grub,  or  insect-security  that  may  pass  him.  It  is  your 
business,  oh  angler  !  to  take  in  this  greedy  discounter  of  insect 
acceptances. 

Behoves  you  then  to  ply  your  finest  art. 

Prospect  the  place,  look  for  an  open  space  through  the  boughs 
and  fohage,  just  over  some  good  fish.  You  must  approach 
the  spot  with  great  caution,  poking  your  rod  with  the  line 
wound  round  it  before  you  ;  now  you  are  opposite  to  the  spot, 
and  concealed  from  the  fish  by  an  intervening  bush.  Upon  a 
No.  8  hook  of  fine  wire  stick  your  two  flies  ;  if  you  have  not 
flies,  why  a  couple  of  gentles,  a  grasshopper,  a  bumblebee,  or  a 
beetle,  perhaps,  or  any  other  insect  will  haply  serve  you.  A 
couple  of  yards  will  be  as  much  line  as  you  require  ;  wind  it 
loosely  round  your  rod-point,  the  baited  hook  hanging  down 
close  to  the  rod  ;  now,  cautiously  and  gradually,  and  with  as 
little  motion  or  disturbance  as  possible,  poke  the  point  of  the 
rod  through  the  hole  in  the  fohage,  and  begin  turning  the  rod 
round  to  let  the  fine  unwind  ;  presently  it  is  all  out,  and  the 
bait  hangs  free  outside  of  the  bushes  ;  being  sure  that  you  are 
over  the  right  spot,  gently  drop  the  bait  on  the  surface  ;  there  is 
a  slight  dimple  in  the  water  below,  a  sound  in  the  dead  stillness, 
as  if  a  drop  of  water  had  fallen  into  a  well,  followed  by  a  con- 
siderable splashing  and  a  rush  under  the  bank  if  you  do  not 
prevent  it,  and  you  must  play  and  get  your  fish  out  in  the  best 
way  you  can.  If  he  is  a  very  good  one,  your  chance  to  lose  him 
is  considerable.  Daping  is  in  some  places  called  "  shade- 
fishing."    It  is  as  great  a  stretch  of  a  permission  for  a  day's 


194  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

^j'-fishing  as  any  gentleman  could  be  guilty  of — more  this 
deponent  sayeth  not.  It  would  be  thought  that  where  worm- 
fishing  is  prohibited,  every  other  species  of  bait-fishing  would 
be  also  prohibited,  yet  is  this  not  the  case,  for  on  many  waters 
dibbing  with  the  natural  fly — which  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
deadly  style  of  fishing  of  any  in  experienced  hands — is  per- 
mitted, while  minnow  and  worm  are  excluded,  and  even  called 
poaching.  I  have  noticed  that  the  piscatorial  mind  has  a 
strange  way  of  looking  upon  the  word  poaching.  With  many 
people  "  poaching  "  means  fishing  in  any  other  way  than  that 
favoured  by  the  appellant.     It,  in  fact,  as  Hudibras  has  it. 

Compounds  for  sins  they  are  inclined  to. 
By  damning  those  they  have  no  mind  to. 

Had  I  my  will  I  would  never  allow  a  trout  to  be  caught  with 
anything  but  the  artificial  fly,  and  should,  under  such  circum- 
stances, look  upon  all  bait-fishing  as  poaching,  no  matter  how 
employed.  But  as  men  are  constituted,  each  has  his  favourite 
mode  of  fishing,  and  all  must  be  served.  The  only  things  I 
resolutely  bar  and  will  not  hold  admissible  under  any  circum- 
stances are  salmon  roe  and  wasp-grub.  The  first  because  it  is 
illegal  and  destructive  of  the  salmon  (for  to  bait  your  hook 
with  three  or  four  salmon  to  catch  one  trout  is  very  bad 
economy)  ;  while  the  second  spoils  the  sport  of  others,  for 
where  wasp-grub  has  been  used  to  any  extent,  sport  ceases. 
In  all  other  respects,  if  worm,  minnow,  and  natural  fly  are 
allowed,  what  should  be  prohibited  ?  It  is  the  common 
practice  in  many  places  to  fish  gentles  for  trout,  precisely  as 
though  you  were  fishing  for  roach,  using  a  fine  quill  float,  and 
throwing  in  a  few  gentles  from  time  to  time  ;  but  I  never  could 
abide  fishing  for  trout  with  a  float — it  is  an  insult  to  the  prince 
of  bold-biting  fish — still  it  is  practised  in  the  quiet  eddies  and 
holes  with  great  effect,  too,  and  Mr.  Stoddart,  who  is  a  great 
authority  upon  worm-fishing,  as  I  have  said,  recommends  the 
use  of  a  float  on  small  lakes  and  pools.  With  respect  to  what 
methods  of  fishing  are  fair  and  what  not,  the  most  satisfactory 
and  safe  plan  to  go  on  would  appear  to  be  guided  by  the 
custom  ;  if  a  person  confines  himself  to  the  custom  of  the  place 
he  cannot  be  far  wrong.  But  if  he  is  told  that  he  is  to  confine 
himself  to  any  special  kind  of  fishing — for  instance,  if  he  has  a 
day's  fishing  granted  to  him  on  condition  that  it  is  fair  fly- 
fishing— and  he  "  just  slips  on  a  worm  because  they  don't  rise 
very  well,"  then  he  is  not  only  a  poacher  but  an  unmitigated 
"  cad,"  who  ought  to  be  kicked  off  the  premises. 


HOW  TO  USE  THE  CREEPER  195 

ON  CRAB  OR  CREEPER-FISHING 

Here,  again,  is  a  method  of  bait-fishing  very  widely  indulged 
in,  which  is  really  very  deadly  in  skilful  hands,  and  which  might 
be  held  poaching  if  any  bait-fishing  is,  nevertheless  it  is  not.  The 
crab  or  creeper  is  the  larva  of  the  stone  fly,  and  may  be  found 
running  about  amongst  the  stones  on  the  wet  strands  of  rivers 
where  the  stone  fly  is  plentiful,  during  the  month  of  April  and  on 
through  much  of  May,  according  to  the  season,  a  week  or  two 
sooner  or  later.  In  appearance  it  resembles  strongly  a  black 
insect  which  we  used  to  call  in  my  early  youth  the  "  Devil's 
coach  horses,"  an  insect  which  perhaps  will  be  recognised  by 
its  habit  of  erecting  its  tail,  or  the  latter  half  of  its  body,  in  the 
air,  when  disturbed.  I  believe  its  proper  name  is  the  rose 
beetle.  Like  to  it  is  the  creeper,  save  that  it  has  horns  or 
feelers  on  the  head,  and  somewhat  similar  appendages  to  the 
tail.  It  is  not  a  prepossessing  looking  insect.  It  is  very  active, 
and  not  so  very  easy  to  catch.  However,  the  laddies  by  the 
river-side  will  always  collect  the  angler  a  good  stock  of  them 
for  a  consideration  if  they  are  to  be  obtained. 

The  method  of  using  the  creeper  very  much  resembles  that 
used  in  lob  worm  fishing  in  the  larger  brooks  and  rivers,  but 
with  this  remarkable  difference,  that  whereas  the  lob  worm 
is  most  deadly  when  the  water  is  coloured  slightly,  the  creeper 
is  most  deadly  when  it  is  low  and  bright.  The  later  the  creeper 
can  be  fished  in  the  season  the  better  the  chance  is  with  trout. 
The  method  of  using  it  is  as  follows  :  The  gut  should,  of  course, 
be  of  the  finest,  some  two  or  three  yards  ;  the  hook  a  straight- 
bend  No.  7,  with  a  longish  shank.  Some  people  prefer  two 
smaller  hooks,  one  above  the  other,  the  lower  hook  hooked 
crosswise  through  the  tail,  and  the  upper  through  the  thorax  ; 
and  doubtless  with  a  tender  bait  like  this,  this  plan  is  worth 
consideration.  I  generally,  however,  when  I  have  used  it, 
employed  but  one  hook,  as  above  ;  but  to  prevent  the  fly 
sUpping  down  to  the  bend  of  the  hook,  I  lash  into  the  shank  of 
the  hook  a  short  bristle,  leaving  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  it 
pointing  out  and  upwards  towards  the  gut,  and  this  prevents 
the  bait  from  slipping  down,  while  it  forms  no  resistance 
whatever  to  baiting.  Choose  the  creeper  with  the  most  yellow 
about  it  (as  we  believe  do  the  trout)  for  preference.  This,  I 
fancy,  is  the  female,  and  trout  favour  the  feminine  gender  with 
more  flies  than  the  stone  fly.  Take  the  hook  and  insert  the 
point  at  the  top  of  the  thorax,  threading  the  bait  upon  the 


196  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

hook,  as  it  were,  until  the  point  comes  out  about  the  middle 
of  the  belly,  and  the  insect  hangs  pretty  straight  upon  the 
hook,  the  shank  buried  in  the  body,  and  but  the  point  visible. 
Great  care  is  required  in  casting,  as  the  bait  is  very  tender, 
and  therefore  the  line  should  not  greatly  exceed  the  length  of 
the  rod,  unless  the  angler  be  very  skilful.  No  shot  is  necessary 
unless  the  water  be  heavy.  In  ordinary  streams  it  will  sink 
to  mid-water  easily  enough,  where  it  will  for  the  most  part 
be  taken.  If  the  water  be  heavy,  however,  a  single  large  shot 
will  do.  Bite  it  on  a  foot  above  the  hook.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible to  fish  creepers  properly  without  wading.  Enter  the 
stream,  stooping  cautiously  if  the  water  happen  to  be  very 
open  and  thin,  and  cast  upwards  and  outwards,  letting  the 
bait  come  down  almost  level  with  the  place  where  you  stand, 
lifting  the  bait  by  raising  the  point  of  the  rod  slightly  now 
and  then,  if  you  have  reason  to  suppose  that  it  is  getting 
near  the  bottom,  taking  a  careful  step,  or  even  two,  upwards, 
at  every  cast  or  so.  Try  the  edges  of  streams  just  out  of  the 
rough  water,  the  turn  of  an  eddy,  the  eye  of  the  stream,  and 
where  it  commences  to  turn  off  under  overhanging  banks  or 
trees  with  a  fair  stream  under  them,  the  tails  of  rough  pools — 
anywhere  where  good  fish  may  be  on  the  watch,  save  still  water, 
where  it  is  next  to  useless  to  try  it.  The  eye  should  detect 
the  bite  before  the  hand  does.  If  you  wait  for  the  hand  to 
denote  to  you  the  "  jog,  jog  "  a  good  trout  gives  when  he  takes 
a  bait,  ten  to  one  you  will  be  too  late.  As  the  bait  never  does, 
or  never  ought  to,  touch  the  bottom  (as,  being  so  tender,  it  is 
very  soon  destroyed),  the  instant  the  line  checks  as  it  comes 
down-stream  towards  you  don't  wait  to  wonder  what  it  may 
be,  but  strike.  The  loss  or  damage  of  your  bait  is  certain  in 
either  case,  whether  you  have  a  bait  and  miss  it,  or  whether 
you  take  hold  of  a  stick,  weed,  or  stone,  so  you  may  as  well 
strike  and  chance  it.  Do  not  strike  too  hard.  Strike  quickly, 
lightly,  and  firmly  ;  and  as  the  best  fish  come  at  the  creeper, 
get  them  down  to  you  as  soon  as  possible,  and  with  as  little  ado, 
so  as  not  to  disturb  the  others  above.  The  greatest  nuisance 
of  this  fishing  is  that  you  are  so  perpetually  called  upon  to  renew 
your  bait,  for  every  run,  every  stroke,  and  every  hitch  destroys 
it.  Perhaps  the  most  deadly  time  of  any  to  use  the  creeper 
is  about  the  period  when  the  chief  transition  from  creeper  to 
fly  is  going  on  ;  and  he  is  a  muff  who  with  a  fair  chance  in  his 
favour  cannot  fill  a  basket  with  good  trout  then. 
A  tiny  fly-box,  of  funnel  shape,  with  a  small  exit,  is  the  best 


I 


BEETLE-FISHING  197 

thing  to  keep  them  in  ;  and  there  are  few  tackle  shops  but  sell 
such  boxes.  The  creeper  may  be  kept  either  in  water  or  with- 
out. If  you  wish  to  keep  a  number  of  them,  probably  a  large 
box  with  perforated  zinc  top,  and  a  layer  of  large  pebbles  at 
the  bottom,  only  half  submerged  in  water,  so  that  the  insects 
may  suit  their  own  convenience,  would  be  preferable.  For  a 
day's  fishing,  they  may  be  carried  in  a  dry  box. 


BEETLE-FISHING 

Various  beetles,  both  land  and  water,  may  be  used  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  way  as  the  creeper.    Anglers  do  not,  as  a  rule, 
pay  half  enough  attention  to  the  various  species  of  Coleoptera 
on  which  the  trout  feed.    Yet  the  importance  of  this  kind  of 
food,  not  only  to  trout  but  to  many  other  sorts  of  fish,  may  be 
seen  by  cutting  open  a  trout  when  they  are  perhaps  rising 
badly,  when  a  large  proportion  of  the  contents  of  the  fish's 
stomach  will  be  found  to  be  beetles  ;   and  a  good  basket  may 
often  be  made  either  with  the  natural  or  artificial  beetle  when 
the  fish  are  not  rising  to  the  fly.     In  mentioning  the  real 
beetle,  of  course  its  use  would  be  confined  only  to  those  waters 
where  bait-fishing  is  legitimate.    The  best  land-beetles  to  use 
are  the  coch-y-bondu,  Marlow  buzz,  or  fern-webb,  of  which 
I  have  already  spoken.    It  may  be  found  plentifully  in  many 
places  in  June  and  July.    Similar  to  it  is  the  cowdung-beetle, 
found  under  cowdung  of  some  days'  standing  ;   but  there  are 
many  others  which  may  be  used  on  an  emergency,  and  which 
will  be  found  to  kill  well.    Water-beetles  are  very  numerous, 
and  will,  of  course,  also  be  found  valuable  aids  to  the  fisherman. 
The  method  of  using  them  is  similar  to  that  described  in  creeper- 
fishing.    The  artificial  beetle  will  be  found  very  useful  at  times, 
and  I  recommend  it  as  much  the  pleasantest  way  of  fishing 
beetle  ;    and  as  much  skill  and  quickness,  and  perhaps  even 
more,  will  be  required  than  is  necessary  in  the  manipulation 
of  the  artificial  fly,  because  the  angler  will  not  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  seeing  a  rise,  but  will  have  to  judge  from  his  sense 
of  feeling  and  the  motion  of  the  line.    If  the  line  stops  suddenly 
he  should  strike  at  once,  not  waiting  for  the  tug  at  the  rod-top  ; 
but  in  all  cases  he  should  strike  Hghtly,  or  he  may  destroy  his 
bait  even  if  there  should  be  no  bite.    The  artificial  beetle  should 
be  made  by  tying  three  strands  of  gut,  stained  almost  black, 
firmly  crosswise  to  the  hook  shank.    Then  tie  a  bunch  of  some 
long  strands  of  any  brown  or  mottled  feather  which  will  best 


198  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

imitate  the  wing  cases,  on  at  the  tail  of  the  hook.  Next  tie  on 
peacock  or  ostrich  herl  at  the  same  place,  and  wind  the  silk  up 
to  the  bend  ;  in  doing  so  two  strips  of  lead  may  be  bound  on 
to  the  shank  to  give  it  weight.  Then  wind  on  the  herl  for  the 
body,  and  tie  it  off  neatly  ;  bring  the  brown  strands  up  to  the 
bend  tightly,  to  form  the  back,  and  tie  it  off ;  then  tie  a  bit  of 
silk  tightly  round  over  all  to  separate  the  body  and  form  the 
thorax.  Cuts  of  two  artificial  beetles  may  be  seen  at  Plate  X, 
Figs.  5  and  6,  page  219. 


ON   WORM-FISHING 

There  are  two  methods  of  worm-fishing — one  which  I  am 
excessively  partial  to,  and  one  which  I  care  nothing  about. 
The  first  and  simplest  is  the  dolce  far  niente  of  trout  fishing  ; 
and  I  know  nothing  more  pleasant  than  wandering  dreamily 
away  up  amongst  the  hills  by  the  side  of  some  tiny  beck,  new 
to  the  angler,  with  no  sound  but  the  plover,  or  the  curlew,  or 
the  distant  tinkle  of  the  drowsy  bell-wether  ;  no  encumbrance 
but  a  light  rod ;  no  bother  about  what  flies  will  or  will  not 
suit ;  no  tackle  beyond  a  yard  of  gut  and  two  or  three  hooks 
in  a  piece  of  brown  paper ;  a  small  bag  of  moss  with  well- 
scoured  worms  within  ;  a  sandwich  or  a  cold  mutton  chop — 
the  latter  for  preference — ^in  one  pocket,  and  a  flask  of  the  dew 
"  that  shines  in  the  starlight  when  kings  dinna  ken  '*  in  the 
other.  Far,  far  beyond  all  care  ;  away  from  rates,  taxes,  and 
telegrams ;  where  there  are  neither  division  lists,  nor 
law  Hsts,  nor  stock  lists,  nor  share  lists,  nor  price  lists, 
nor  betting  lists,  nor  any  list  whatever ;  where  no  news- 
paper can  come  to  worry  or  unsettle  you,  and  where 
you  don't  care  a  straw  how  the  world  wags ;  where  your 
chents  are  trouts,  your  patients  worms,  your  congregation 
mountain  black-faces,  water-ousels,  and  dabchicks ;  your 
court,  hospital,  or  church  the  pre- Adamite  hills  with  the  eternal 
sky  above  them  ;  your  inspiration  the  pure  breeze  of  heaven, 
far,  far  above  all  earthly  corruption.  Here,  in  delightful 
solitude,  sauntering  or  scrambUng  on,  and  on,  and  on,  and  on, 
upwards  and  upwards,  from  wee  pooHe  to  fern-clad  cascade ; 
casting  or  dropping  the  worm  into  either,  or  guiding  it  deftly 
under  each  hollow  bank  and  past  each  rugged  stone,  pulHng 
out  a  trout  here  and  a  trout  there  in  the  fair  summer  weather, 
V.  th  now  a  whiff  of  wild,  thyme  or  fragrant  gorse,  and  now  a 


WORM-FISHING  FOR  TROUT  199 

shaugh  of  the  pipe,  and  an  amazed  and  charmed  gaze  at  the 
mountain  crags  above,  and  the  ever-changing  scenery  of  the 
hills  as  the  clouds  flit  over  them,  with  just  sport  enough  to 
give  amusement  without  enchaining  the  attention  so  much  as 
to  prevent  us  drinking  in  all  the  delights  that  nature  spreads 
for  us — this,  this  is  to  my  mind  the  true  dehght  of  angling. 
This  was  my  first  experience,  my  first  angling  love,  and  will 
be  my  last.  What  though  you  never  get  a  fish  over  half  a 
pound  ?  Why,  the  half-pounder  is  as  much  the  hero  of  your 
day  as  the  two-pounder  is  of  your  more  pretentious  friend, 
who  spent  the  day  up  to  his  middle  in  the  main  river,  and 
never  noticed  a  thing  all  day  but  blue  duns  and  fluttering 
willow-fiies.  And  you  do  not  indulge  in  such  a  ramble  for  the 
sake  of  showing  your  fish  against  all  comers,  but  for  solitude 
and  self-communion  among  scenes  that  tell  no  lies  and  brook 
none. 

There  is  not  much  to  learn,  apparently,  in  this  kind  of  fishing, 
and  yet  it  is  astonishing  what  queer  and  unlikely  places  an 
adept  will  pull  the  little  speckled  fellows  out  of,  which  a  tyro 
would  deem  hopeless.  A  hook  of  Nos.  5,  6,  or  7,  or  of  the 
straight  round  CarUsle  bend,  is  all  that  you  need,  with  some 
four  feet  of  moderately  fine  gut ;  no  shot  or  sinkers — the 
gravity  of  the  worm  itself  is  sufficient.  Any  kind  of  worms 
do,  but  the  toughest  are  the  best ;  and  very  small  dew  or  lob 
worms  answer  the  purpose,  if  you  can  get  enough  of  them, 
better  than  others.  Put  the  hook  in  at  the  head  (not,  as  some 
prefer  it,  at  the  side)  ;  string  the  worm  on  down  till  there  is 
but  half  an  inch  of  tail  left  beyond  the  point.  Now  you  are 
ready.  Yonder  is  a  small  cascade  some  two  feet  in  width  ; 
drop  the  worm  into  it,  and  let  the  stream  take  it  where  it  will. 
Soh  !  No  sooner  is  it  clear  of  the  down  draught,  and  near 
the  edge  of  the  little  basin,  than  there  is  a  "  pluck,  pluck  "  at 
the  hne.  Drop  the  point  of  the  rod  for  a  brief  second  to  let 
him  get  the  worm  in  his  mouth  ;  then  give  a  short  sharp  stroke, 
and  a  lift  of  the  rod-point,  and  you  pull  the  little  rascal  out 
flopping  on  the  bank,  a  noble  quarter-of-a-pounder.  Never 
mind  ;  on  with  another  worm  and  try  again.  Let  it  run  close 
imder  that  bank.  "  Dab  !  "  your  line  goes  under  it  with  a 
shoot.  Ah  !  you  did  not  drop  the  point  quick  enough  ;  he 
felt  the  check,  and  has  left  it.  Don't  worry  him — leave  him, 
and  he  may  take  in  a  few  minutes,  but  not  if  you  show  him 
the  worm  too  often.  Now  try  by  the  side  of  that  stone,  and 
steer  nicely  through  that  little  channel,  cut  between  the  rocks. 


200  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

See,  the  line  stops  again ;  lift  it  gently,  'tis  but  a  stick  or  a 
piece  of  weed.  Now  it  stops  once  more,  and  by  the  tremulous 
motion  of  the  line  it  is  a  fish — pull  him  out ;  "  and  so  on." 
The  great  object  in  this  kind  of  fishing  is  to  let  the  worm  roll 
along  naturally,  and  to  steer  the  line  clear  of  all  obstacles,  so 
that  no  check  may  occur  while  working  the  worm  through 
and  round  every  likely  hole,  stone,  or  hanging  bank.  You 
never  need  try  even  the  hkeliest  looking  place  more  than 
twice,  for  usually  the  bait  will  be  taken  even  at  the  first  swim, 
if  it  is  taken  at  all.  Of  course  the  angler  must  make  himself 
as  invisible  as  he  can  ;  and  when  an  open  or  clear  shallow  bit 
occurs,  he  must  cast  up-stream  and  fish  it  down  towards 
himself  if  he  wants  to  catch  fish  in  it.  When  the  angler  has  a 
bite,  he  must  drop  the  point  of  the  rod  for  a  second  or  two, 
and  then  strike  ;  and  when  he  strikes,  if  the  fish  do  not  prove 
too  heavy,  he  must  lift  him  out  smartly  with  the  point  of  the 
rod  and  drop  him  upon  the  bank.  In  this  manner  of  fishing  in 
some  of  the  little  becks  in  Cornwall  when  a  boy  I  have  pulled 
out  five  and  six  dozen  of  bright  little  trout  in  a  day's  fishing, 
not  one  of  which  would  perhaps  reach  half  a  pound.  The 
angler  can,  of  course,  if  he  likes,  use  Mr.  Stewart's  tackle, 
when  he  can  strike  at  the  slightest  touch  without  waiting,  but 
as  there  are  three  hooks,  although  he  will  perhaps  catch  more 
fish,  he  will  much  more  often  experience  the  annoyance  of 
being  hung  up  in  the  thousand  and  one  obstructions  that 
abound  in  such  becks.  Added  to  this,  he  does  not  want  to 
skin  the  stream,  but  to  have  a  pleasant  fishing  ramble  and  to 
leave  some  fish  for  another  day. 

In  larger  brooks  or  in  rivers,  worm-fishing  becomes  alto- 
gether a  different  affair.  It  is  more  often  adopted  when  the 
rain  has  swelled  and  thickened  the  streams  than  at  any  other 
times.  Many  of  the  best  worm-fishers,  however,  follow  it 
with  great  success  when  the  water  is  low  and  clear.  To  succeed 
well,  however,  at  such  times,  it  is  necessary  to  fish  with  very 
fine  tackle,  and  to  use  the  best  precautions  not  to  be  seen  by 
the  fish.  When  the  water  is  thick  this  is  needless.  In  electing 
to  fish  worm  in  thick  water,  always  choose  the  day  when  the 
water  is  first  rising  and  thickening  if  possible,  as  that  is  the 
time  when  all  the  fish  in  the  river  will  be  abroad  and  on  the 
watch  for  food.  If  you  put  off  going  out  till  the  next  day  you 
may  find  them  gorged  with  the  food  the  flood  has  brought 
down,  and  on  the  next  day,  if  the  flood  holds,  you  will  be  sure 
to,  and  your  chance  is  even  worse  still,  and  you  must  give 


I 


I 


WORM  TACKLE  201 

them  a  day  or  two  to  recover  from  their  surfeit  before  they 
will  take  well.  At  such  times,  however,  the  in-shore  eddies  and 
thin  water  close  to  the  banks  will  always  give  a  few  fish  to  the 
fly  or  the  minnow. 

The  length  of  your  rod  for  worm-fishing  must  always 
depend  somewhat  upon  the  size  of  the  river  and  nature  of  the 
water  you  are  going  to  fish.  It  should  not  be  less  than  from 
thirteen  to  fourteen  feet  long,  and  may  be  as  much  longer  as 
you  can  conveniently  handle.  It  should  be  of  the  lightest  cane, 
moderately  stiff,  but  not  too  stiff,  with  some  extra  play  in  the 
top- joint,  as  you  often  have  to  cast  worm  like  a  fly  ;  and  you 
will  find  it  of  some  advantage  to  have  a  good-sized  ring  at  the 
top  of  the  rod,  and  to  see  that  your  sinkers  or  leads,  if  you  use 
them,  are  so  arranged  that  they  will  pass  freely  through  the 
top  rings.  Many  a  line  and  hook  have  I  saved  from  destruction 
by  just  drawing  the  line  through  the  rings  when  I  got  hung 
up  in  a  bit  of  stick,  stone,  or  a  snag,  until  by  thrusting  the  rod 
point  down  under  water  till  the  top  ring  reached  the  hook, 
I  managed  to  clear  it.  There  is  nothing  so  annoying  as  to 
break  your  line  and  to  have  to  sit  down  and  rig  up  a  fresh  one, 
when  the  fish  are  well  on  the  feed.  Every  moment  lost  is  a 
fish  lost.  A  little  care  and  attention  at  the  outset  will  obviate 
all  this.  The  line  should  be  light,  and  of  fine  dressed  eight- 
plait  silk  (dressed  twist  will  do  almost  as  well)  ;  the  gut  cast' 
suited  to  the  water.  In  thick  water  it  may  be  tolerably  stout. 
The  weights  should  be  small  rolled  pieces  of  thin  sheet  lead, 
such  as  roll-plummets  are  made  of,  as  these  can  be  taken  off, 
and  put  on,  and  reduced  with  an  ease  which  split  shot  does 
not  permit  of  ;  added  to  this,  they  do  not  bruise  the  line  like 
split  shot,  nor  do  they  take  such  hold  of  obstructions  on  the 
P  bottom.  The  tackle  to  be  used  may  be  either  the  single  hook 
before  mentioned,  or  a  size  or  so  larger,  on  which  a  well-scoured, 
good-sized  dew  worm,  or  two  brandlings,  etc.,  may  be  impaled  ; 
or  three  small  single  fly-hooks,  tied  at  short  intervals  on  the 
gut,  and  pointing  in  opposite  directions,  may  be  employed. 
This  tackle  which  I  have  already  once  or  twice  referred  to, 
previously,  is  a  very  successful  one  indeed,  and  is  used  a  good 
deal  in  the  North  and  on  the  Border.  It  is  called  Stewart's 
tackle,  because  Mr.  Stewart  is  supposed  to  have  invented  it, 
or,  at  any  rate,  to  have  introduced  it  to  the  pubUc.  When  the 
fish  are  coming  shyly  at  the  worm,  this  tackle  will  kill  three  fish 
for  one  taken  by  the  single  hook,  and  its  superiority  becomes 
most  clear  and  manifest. 


202  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

To  bait  a  single  hook  with  two  brandlings,  put  the  point  of 
the  hook  in  at  the  head  of  the  worm,  and  bring  it  out  about 
the  middle ;  pull  the  barb  through,  and  draw  the  worm  up 
the  shank  of  the  hook  out  of  the  way  ;  *  then  take  the  second 
worm,  put  the  point  into  the  middle  of  the  worm,  and  thread 
it  on  the  hook  up  towards  the  head,  leaving  about  half  an  inch 
of  head  beyond  the  point  of  the  hook  ;  draw  down  the  first 
worm  until  it  meets  the  second,  and  the  hook  is  baited. 

To  fish,  however,  with  small  worms,  as  brandlings  or  red 
worms,  requires  a  neat  touch  and  a  light  hand,  as  the  slightest 
snap  from  a  trout,  such  as  none  but  a  very  practised  worm- 
fisher  would  detect,  is  sufficient  to  tear  and  spoil  the  worm  ; 
and  the  young  hand  had  better  graduate  at  tough  dew-worms 
until  he  acquires  skill. 

To  bait  Stewart's  tackle,  take  a  worm  (or  even  two  if  needed), 
and  stick  the  small  hooks  through  it  in  various  places,  taking 
a  turn  of  the  worm  round  the  gut  between  each  hook,  as  shown 
in  Plate  IX,  Figs.  2  and  3,  page  211. 

When  the  big  hook  is  used,  the  trout  often  takes  the  bend 
or  only  the  shank  in  its  mouth,  and  either  feels  the  steel  within 
or  the  drag  upon  the  worm,  and  quickly  rejects  it,  and  as  the 
point  is  not  in  his  mouth,  a  strike  merely  alarms  him  without 
hooking  him  ;  but  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  a  fish  to  take 
any  part  of  the  worm  in  his  mouth  with  Stewart's  tackle  with- 
out having  one  or  two  of  the  hooks  in  his  mouth. 

In  worm-fishing,  it  is  often  indispensable  to  wade.  Indeed, 
in  nine  times  out  of  ten,  particularly  in  fine  water  fishing,  the 
angler  will  have  to  wade  more  or  less.  In  thick  water  he  may 
avoid  this  somewhat.  He  must,  of  course,  wade  up-stream, 
casting  into  every  likely  spot  as  far  as  he  can  above  him,  allow- 
ing the  bait  to  roll  down-stream  until  it  travels  down  level 
with  him.  The  side  of  a  big  stone  or  rock,  the  edge  of  sharp 
streams,  narrow  runs  between  weeds  or  stones,  the  gravelly 
tails  of  pools  or  just  before  a  rapid,  under  bridges  or  by  bridge 
piers,  by  over-hanging  banks,  and  at  times  even  in  deep  holes, 
are  all  places  to  be  fished  carefully.  In  what  I  have  called 
**  the  eye  "  of  a  stream  (i.e.  the  first  eddy  off  the  commence- 
ment of  a  rapid  or  stream  on  the  side  towards  which  the  stream 
bends),  the  experienced  worm-fisher  will  always  look  for  a 
bite,  if  he  has  one  in  the  stream  at  all,  as  here  the  trout  always 

*  In  baiting  a  worm,  a  small  bag  of  sand  to  dip  the  worm  into  will  greatly 
facilitate  the  operation  by  enabUng  the  thumb  and  finger  to  take  a  firm 
hold.— F.  F. 


FISHING  WITH  WORM  203 

lie  watching  for  the  first  chance  of  the  food  that  comes  down. 
If  the  young  angler  will  note  carefully,  he  will  see  that  small 
sticks,  straws,  flies,  and  whatever  may  come  down,  usually 
take  a  turn  round  this  eddy  before  they  are  swept  down- 
stream. As  the  rapid  narrows  where  it  makes  its  shoot,  all 
food  is  brought  together  in  a  small  compass,  and  is  also  swept 
into  this  eye,  where  the  best  trout  lie  expecting  it. 

In  casting  a  worm,  it  is  advisable  to  commence  with  a  line 
no  longer  than  the  rod,  and  this  may  be  increased  while  throw- 
ing in  the  usual  way.  In  bringing  out  the  line  behind  over 
the  shoulder,  the  return  must  not  be  made  so  abruptly  as  it 
is  with  the  fly,  or  the  worm  will  speedily  be  whipped  off  or  torn, 
but  while  bringing  the  rod  to  the  forward  motion  a  much 
wider  and  rounder  sweep  must  be  made.  The  line  must  be 
perfectly  extended,  with  the  worm  at  the  extreme  end  of  it, 
and,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  "  at  rest,"  before  the  return  is  made. 
The  worm  will  consequently  fall  so  low  that  it  touches  the 
surface  of  the  water  before  it  is  again  impelled  forward,  and, 
if  a  good  worm-fisher  is  watched  when  at  work,  this  will  be 
seen  constantly  to  take  place.  To  get  into  the  regular  swing, 
to  do  it  neatly,  and  to  cast  accurately,  require  a  good  deal  of 
practice  ;  and  an  expert  worm-fisher  can  cast  a  good  long  line 
with  a  worm  at  the  end  neatly  and  effectively.  If  the  water 
be  coloured,  a  line  a  trifle  longer  than  the  rod  is  sufficient,  and 
the  underhand  lift  or  throw  will  answer  all  purposes  ;  but 
clear  water  requires  a  longer  line  and  more  careful  manipula- 
tion. 

In  fishing  with  the  worm,  more  particularly  with  the  single 
hook,  when  you  are  not  mid-water  fishing  but  are  letting  the 
bait  ground,  you  should  always  cast  so  far  up-stream  as  to 
permit  the  worm  to  reach  the  bottom  just  above  the  point 
where  you  expect  fish,  so  that  it  may  come  trundling  along 
over  the  favourite  feeding-ground  like  the  natural  and  free 
bait.  In  this  style  of  fishing,  when  the  worm  enters  the  water, 
sink  the  point  of  the  rod  towards  the  surface,  to  allow  it  freely 
to  find  the  bottom ;  but  when  you  have  reason  to  believe 
that  it  has  reached  it,  or  nearly  so,  gradually  raise  the  point 
as  the  line  comes  home  towards  you  ;  but  you  are  to  remark 
that  this  must  only  be  done  so  as  to  draw  up  the  slack  fine, 
not  pulling  upon  the  worm  in  any  way.  Indeed,  the  progress 
of  the  worm  should  neither  be  hastened  nor  retarded  in  the 
least  by  any  act  of  the  angler's,  but  it  should  be  allowed  to 
come  down  as  if  it  had  neither  line  nor  hook  attached  to  it. 


I 


204  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

When  the  line  stops  in  its  downward  career,  an  experienced 
angler  can  for  the  most  part  tell  at  once  whether  the  stoppage 
is  caused  by  the  bite  of  a  fish,  or  whether  the  sinkers  or  worm 
have  lodged  in  a  weed,  stick,  or  stone.  There  is  an  abruptness, 
a  tremulous  motion,  sometimes  a  slight  movement  of  the  line, 
which  tells  the  angler  at  once,  without  any  "  tug,  tug,"  or 
feel  by  the  hand,  that  it  is  a  fish.  When  you  see  this,  drop 
the  point  of  the  rod  for  a  second  or  two,  as  if  the  fish  feels 
any  restraint  on  the  worm,  he  will,  unless  very  hungry  indeed, 
at  once  reject  it,  and  you  will  certainly  lose  your  fish.  Having 
given  a  second  or  two,  strike  firmly,  play  boldly,  and  land  as 
soon  as  possible. 

This  is  what  you  must  do  if  you  are  fishing  with  the  large 
single  hook.  If  you  are  fishing,  however,  with  Mr.  Stewart's 
tackle,  you  need  give  no  time,  as  this  is  used  for  the  most  part 
with  light  sinkers  in  mid-water,  or  at  any  rate  clear  of  the 
bottom,  and  the  instant  the  line  stops  you  strike.  This  is  a 
great  advantage  over  the  old  plan,  in  which  when  the  line 
stopped,  if  you  were  not  certain  that  it  was  a  fish,  you  either 
had  to  "  feel  "  him  or  to  strike  at  once. 

Feehng  the  fish  is  dangerous  work.  It  consists  in  raising 
the  point  of  the  rod  so  as  to  tighten  the  line  sufficiently  to 
enable  you  to  feel  the  "  tug,  tug,  tug  "  made  by  the  fish  in 
detaining  the  worm  ;  but  this,  as  I  have  said,  is  not  safe, 
being  merely  the  herald  of  a  rejection  of  the  worm,  and  when 
you  strike  you  find  the  fish  has  left  you.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
you  strike  at  once  on  suspicion,  one  or  two  things  may  happen, 
viz.  either  the  fish  will  not  have  got  the  large  hook  sufficiently 
into  his  mouth,  or,  failing  in  its  being  a  fish  at  all,  you  will 
take  such  fast  hold  of  root,  stick,  or  stone,  that  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  dislodging  the  hold  without  a  breakage  will 
ensue. 

Although  worm-fishing  is  not  very  clean  and  delicate  when 
compared  with  artificial  fly-fishing,  it  requires  no  little  skill, 
and  the  fish  has  many  more  chances  in  his  favour,  particularly 
when  the  single  hook  is  used,  than  the  angler  who  is  unac- 
quainted with  it  would  be  disposed  to  imagine,  for  the  moder- 
ately skilful  angler  will  certainly  not  kill  one  fish  for  every  two 
bites  which  he  gets,  and  often  not  for  every  three,  even  when 
the  fish  are  inchned  to  take  worm,  which  is  not  every  day ; 
while  the  unskilful  angler  will  feel  tug  after  tug,  and,  unless 
the  fish  are  savagely  hungry,  will  not  kill  one  in  six.  I  am  of 
course  speaking  of  localities  where  the  trout  are  accustomed 


FISHING  WITH  WORM  20^ 

to  be  fished  for  with  a  worm,  not  in  unsophisticated  preserves 
where  we  may  say  of  a  worm — 

Oh,  no  !  we  never  mention  it. 
Its  name  is  never  heard  ; 

and  the  majority,  certainly,  of  south-country  fishermen' will 
be  disposed  to  add,  "  and  a  good  job  too."  Still  there  are 
districts  where  its  use  is  universal,  and  where  to  stop  its  use 
would  be  to  stop  the  sport  of  hundreds,  and  to  interdict  fishing 
for  at  least  one  half  of  the  fishing  days  in  the  season. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

SPINNING    FOR    TROUT 

Spinning   for   Large   Trout — Spinning   for   Trout  in   Small   Streams — ^The 
Par-Tail — The  Grayling 

I  NOW  come  to  spinning  for  trout.  The  very  best  spinners 
for  large  trout  in  the  world  are  Thames  fishermen.  It  is 
a  sight  worth  seeing  to  watch  a  well-practised  hand 
standing  on  a  weir  beam,  and  working  his  bait  in  every 
eddy,  behind  piles,  and  under  the  apron  or  sheathing ;  now 
sending  it  far  away  down  the  stream  by  a  light  swing  of  the 
arm,  now  pitching  it  dexterously  under  the  broken  water 
of  the  fall,  and  skimming  along  from  bay  to  bay,  so  that  not 
one  inch  of  hkely  water  remains  unfished  ;  all  the  while 
gathering  the  line  up  in  the  palm  of  his  left  hand  and  giving  it 
out  thence,  so  that  no  slack  hangs  about  anywhere. 

The  way  of  casting  a  spinning-bait  Thames  fashion  has 
already  been  described  in  jack-fishing,  and  need  not  be  repeated 
here,  as  the  modus  operandi  is  the  same  for  trout  as  for  pike. 
The  rod  should  be  a  little  longer  than  that  used  for  jack- 
fishing,  but  not  so  stout.  Thames  trout-rods  are  usually  of 
bamboo,  the  favourite  length  from  fourteen  to  fifteen  feet. 
The  line  is  of  well-dressed  fine  eight-plait  silk.  The  commonest 
kind  of  tackle  in  use  among  the  Thames  trout-fishers  precisely 
resembles  that  used  for  jack-fishing,  shown  in  Plate  IV,  Fig.  i, 
p.  76.  It  is  very  seldom  indeed  that  more  than  three  triangles 
and  a  lip-hook  are  used,  and,  of  course,  the  flight  of  hooks 
is  tied  upon  gut,  and  not  gimp  ;  and,  being  intended  to  take 
a  smaller  bait,  the  hooks  are  smaller  and  tied  on  closer  to- 
gether. Some  people  occasionally  use  a  reverse  hook  to 
secure  the  bend  next  to  the  last  triangle,  but,  though  useful, 
it  is  not  indispensable.  Some,  again,  use  a  single  hook  at  the 
tail.  This  hook,  being  a  size  or  two  larger,  is  hooked  into  the 
tail,  so  as  to  make  the  bend  of  the  hook  form  the  crook.    I 

206 


SPINNING  FOR  THAMES  TROUT  207 

prefer  this  plan,  as  it  strengthens  the  hold  on  the  tail  and 
makes  the  bait  last  longer.  The  great  difficulty,  however, 
which  I  have  always  experienced  in  fishing  for  Thames  trout 
has  been  that  the  hooks  are  all  so  small  that  they  take  a  bad 
hold  on  the  bait  and  a  worse  one  on  the  fish  ;  and  nine  trout 
out  of  every  ten  get  off  after  being  hooked,  solely  because 
we  have  fished  for  a  fish  as  large  and  powerful  as  a  salmon, 
and  often  in  water  as  rough  and  heavy  as  that  which  salmon 
are  found  in,  but  with  roach  hooks  to  hold  him  when  hooked. 
Can  anything  be  more  absurd  ?  The  fish  runs,  is  hooked,  gives 
one  turn  over  in  the  stream,  or  perhaps  is  hauled  about  for 
five  minutes  or  more,  and  then  off  he  goes,  with  a  very  strong 
reminder  that  a  bait  which  conducts  itself  in  the  fashion  which 
a  spinning-bait  does  is  not  safe  feeding.  I  could  almost  venture 
to  assert  that  there  is  not  a  trout  of  seven  or  eight  pounds  and 
upwards  in  the  Thames  but  has  been  served  in  this  way  half  a 
dozen  times  ;  and  then  we  marvel  that  Thames  trout  should 
be  such  shy  fish  and  so  difficult  to  catch,  whereas  the  only 
wonder  is  that  they  ever  run  at  a  spinning  bait  at  all,  so 
"  well  educated  "  as  they  are.  It  was,  as  I  have  said,  to 
remedy  this  that  I  invented  my  tackle,  and  subsequently 
improved  upon  it  by  borrowing  Mr.  Pennell's  tail-hook.  The 
only  difference  which  I  make  between  this  tackle  and  that 
which  I  use  for  pike  is,  that  I  employ  only  one  triangle  of 
fair-sized  hooks  at  the  side  of  the  bait  above  the  big  tail- 
hook  instead  of  two,  and  this  is  attached  to  the  Hp-hook  as  in 
the  minnow  tackle,  shown  in  Plate  IX,  Fig.  7,  p.  211.* 
There  are  few  tackles  which  hold  the  bait  better  together, 
which  keep  it  in  spinning  order  longer  (owing  to  the  big  grip 
which  the  large  hook  takes  on  the  tail  of  the  bait),  or  which 
are  so  little  conspicuous  to  the  gaze  of  so  shy  a  fish  as  the 
Thames  trout ;  and,  added  to  this,  if  the  angler  hooks  his  fish 
he  may  play  him  with  vigour,  as  he  ought  to  be  played.  These 
I  hold  to  be  qualities  which  are  certainly  desirable  in  a  tackle 
where  the  fish  are  shy  or  the  streams  rough  and  heavy. 

tSome  Thames  fishers,  who  like  ten  or  a  dozen  hooks  to 
eir  tackles,  may  say  that  there  are  not  enough  hooks  in  this 
give  a  sufficient  chance  of  hooking  these  fish.    To  this  I 

♦  Instead  of  the  plain  single  tail-hook  shown  in  the  engraving,  one  of 
Mr.  Pennell's  double  reverse  hooks  should  be  used  for  large  trout ;  or  the 
angler  can,  if  he  prefers  it,  use  this  tackle  exactly  as  it  is  figured,  by  employing 
it  and  baiting  it  as  prescribed  for  the  pike  at  page  84.     It  is  an  admirable 

kle  either  way. 


I 


2o8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

say,  that,  if  the  trout  runs  well  and  takes  the  bait  fairly,  there 
are  quite  enough  hooks  to  bring  him  to  basket ;  but,  if  he 
runs  badly,  I  would  rather  not  hook  him  at  all,  as  a  sUght 
hold  followed  by  a  scramble  and  a  lose  will  certainly  be  the 
result,  and  the  trout  is  shy  for  weeks,  if  not  for  the  season. 
This  is  what  I  complain  of  in  those  many  but  small-hooked 
tackles. 

The  trace  to  be  employed  in  spinning  for  the  Thames  trout 
should  be  as  long  as  can  be  conveniently  managed ;  and 
there  should  be  from  two  to  three  feet  of  good  round  sound 
trout-gut  at  least  below  the  lead,  which  should  be  a  "  Field  " 
lead  or  one  on  a  similar  principle,  to  prevent  kinking,  with  at 
least  two  swivels  below  the  lead.  If  three  are  used,  they  should 
be  doubled  or  joined,  as  recommended  by  Mr.  Pennell ;  this 
gives  great  play  to  the  bait.  A  large  swivel  at  the  head  of  the 
trace,  to  connect  the  running-line,  is  all  that  is  needed  above 
the  lead  if  it  be  on  the  "  Field  "  principle,  as  all  the  spinning 
takes  place  below  it.  The  trace  above  the  lead  should  consist 
of  one  strand  of  stouter  single  gut,  one  of  double  twisted,  and 
two  of  treble  twisted.    This  makes  up  a  very  useful  trace. 

In  spinning  for  these  large  trout,  the  brighter  and  more 
attractive  the  bait  is  the  better.  A  small  dace  or  a  small 
bleak  I  always  prefer  to  any  other  bait,  as  a  gudgeon  or  loach. 
It  is  desirable  that  they  should  spin  evenly  and  well,  if  only  to 
prevent  the  quick-eyed  trout  from  seeing  the  hooks  about  the 
bait.  All  that  I  have  said  about  putting  a  bait  on  jack  tackle 
will  apply  equally  to  trout ;  the  same  rules  must  be  observed 
if  the  bait  be  required  to  spin  well. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  season  the  trout  will  be  found  in  the 
open  streams  ;  but  as  the  season  advances,  and  the  nights 
get  warm,  and  the  water  low  and  clear,  they  appear  to  draw 
more  up  to  the  weirs.  Perhaps  bait  is  more  plentiful  there  at 
such  times.  Although  it  is  the  custom  to  fish  for  them  with 
a  neat  little  bait  about  three  and  a  half  inches  long,  yet  I  have 
known  the  best  fish  hooked  with  a  large  jack-bait  and  gimp- 
tackle  after  they  had  been  fished  over  with  the  usual  small 
baits  for  weeks  in  vain.  Probably  the  larger  bait  tempted 
them  ;  and,  indeed,  if  the  angler  should  see  a  Thames  trout 
feeding,  he  will  more  often  see  him  chasing  a  large  bait  than 
a  small  one. 

Owing  to  their  shyness  of  the  spinning-bait.,  it  has  become 
greatly  the  practice  of  late  years  to  fish  for  them  with  a  live 
bait,  sinking  and  drawing  with  but  a  couple  of  shot  and  a 


WARINESS  OF  THAMES  TROUT  209 

single  hook,  or  a  triangle  hooked  through  the  nose,  and  a 
long  and  Hght  Une  out.  It  is  a  mighty  kiUing  plan  if  the  fish 
be  well  on  the  feed,  but  is  not  so  sportsmanhke  a  method  as 
spinning.  Some  even  go  the  length  of  fishing  the  weirs  with  a 
combination  of  paternoster  and  large  float ;  but  this  certainly 
savours  more  of  hot-hunting  than  sportsmanship,  so  I  say  no 
more  of  it  than  that  the  practice  does  prevail. 

The  great  art  and  mystery  of  Thames  trout-fishing  is 
unwearied  perseverance.  If  the  angler  can  make  up  his  mind, 
when  he  has  "  spotted  "  a  fish,  to  sit  and  spin  over  him  for 
hours,  and  keep  up  his  expectation  of  a  run  for  every  minute 
in  the  twenty-four,  perhaps  for  a  week  or  more,  he  may,  if  he 
has  luck,  get  a  fish  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  two  ;  but  even 
then  it  is  no  certainty.  His  best  chance  is  early  in  the  morning, 
before  the  fish  have  been  disturbed  by  boats  and  barges  or  by 
other  anglers.  More  trout  are  killed  when  they  come  on  the 
feed  for  the  first  time  in  the  day  than  in  all  the  twenty-four 
hours  besides,  because  they  have  had  a  long  rest,  and  are  sure 
to  be  more  sharp  set  and  less  suspicious. 

In  fishing  a  weir,  I  have  often  seen  anglers  standing  upright 
on  the  beam  fishing  the  edge  of  the  apron  almost  at  their  feet, 
in  the  expectation  of  running  a  trout.  If  they  would  consider 
the  fine  statuesque  reUef  against  the  clear  sky  behind,  which 
they  present  to  the  wary  and  astonished  eyes  of  the  fish, 
by  so  exposing  themselves  to  view,  they  would  better  under- 
stand why  they  do  sit  and  stand  for  hours  and  hours  on  such 
places  without  getting  a  run.  Is  a  Thames  trout  such  a  fool 
as  to  take  a  suspicious  looking  bait,  with  the  angler  staring 
down  his  throat  in  the  most  conspicuous  place  possible,  and 
within  five  yards  or  less  of  him  ?  Why,  a  trumpery  little  half- 
pound  trout,  that  has  never  tasted  steel  or  seen  a  bunch  of 
feathers  in  his  life,  would  not  stand  that ;  and  how  can  anglers 
expect  the  shyest  fish  that  swims  to  do  so  ?  The  proper  plan 
is  to  take  the  punt  up  above  the  weir,  to  let  it  fall  against  the 
uprights  and  lie  there  ;  then,  by  pushing  the  rod  between 
the  handles  of  the  paddles  and  the  rymers,  to  fish  not  only  the 
white  water  close  up  to  the  apron,  but  the  apron  itself.  Many 
a  good  trout  is  hooked  upon  the  apron,  where  he  rests  (as 
good  trout  will)  close  to  the  fall,  picking  up  quietly  whatever 
comes  down  it  that  is  edible  ;  but  which  good  trout  will 
inevitably  dash  off  the  apron  into  the  depths  below  the  instant 
the  angler  sets  his  foot  upon  the  weir  beam.  The  angler 
should  send  the  fisherman  below  the  weir  with  the  net.    Let 


210  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

him  get  a  spare  boat,  if  it  is  required,  and  lie  on  the  shore 
close  up,  while  his  master  jfishes  the  weir  across,  gently  pushing 
the  punt  on  from  bay  to  bay,  and  never  showing  himself  to 
the  fish.  If  a  fish  is  hooked  the  fisherman  rows  out  and  lands 
him,  rebaits  the  hooks,  and  retires,  while  his  master  finishes 
the  weir. 

Unfortunately  there  is  little  chance  for  these  precautions 
nowadays,  for,  whenever  you  go  near  a  weir,  you  are  sure 
to  see  one  if  not  two  fishermen  perched,  like  Caryatides,  at 
each  corner,  lazily  staring  out  of  countenance  every  fish  that 
moves.  And  the  worst  of  it  is  that  they  are  always  fishing, 
whether  they  have  a  customer  or  not.  The  consequence  is 
that  gentlemen  are  gradually,  but  surely,  leaving  the  Thames 
trout-fishing  altogether  to  the  fishermen ;  and  the  fishermen 
are  beginning  to  experience  the  evil  effects  of  their  attempt 
"  to  eat  their  cake  and  have  it  too."  Another  practice  common 
among  Thames  trout  fishers,  too,  is  to  fish  with  very  stout 
salmon  gut,  which  is  not  only  quite  unnecessary,  but  greatly 
increases  the  chances  against  them. 

So  much  for  the  Thames  trout-fishing.  I  have,  though 
formerly  most  patient  and  persevering,  always  found  it  a 
highly  unsatisfactory  pursuit.  Of  late  years,  however,  many 
very  good  fish  have  been  taken  with  the  fly,  and,  as  the  Thames 
fishermen  are  not  generally  up  to  this,  these  have  been  chiefly, 
if  not  altogether,  taken  by  gentlemen.  The  flies  they  affect 
are  the  stone  fly,  red  palmer.  May  fly,  alder  and  cinnamon, 
dressed  large,  or  a  fly  with  a  silver  twist  body  and  a  bunch  of 
peacock  herl  for  the  wing,  which  they  have  a  great  fancy  for  ; 
but  whether  they  mistake  it  for  a  fly  or  a  minnow  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say.  Trout  of  seven  and  eight  pounds  weight 
have  not  unfrequently  thus  been  taken  ;  and,  if  there  was  a 
larger  stock  of  big  flies,  like  the  stone  and  May  fly,  in  the 
river,  so  as  to  tempt  the  fish  to  look  after  that  kind  of  food,  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  many  more  fish  would  thus  be  taken. 
I  have  heard  of  many  good  fish  also  being  taken  with  grilse 
flies. 


SPINNING  FOR  TROUT  IN  SMALL  STREAMS 

We  now  come  to  spinning  for  the  smaller  trout  in  lesser 
rivers  and  in  brooks.  The  rod  for  this  must  be  lighter  than 
the  Thames  rod,  so  as  to  be  wielded  easily  with  one  hand. 


PLATE  IX. 


To  face  Page  211. 


Tackle  For  Minnow  Spinning,  Etc. 


SPINNING  TACKLE  211 

It  must  be  also  more  slender,  and  with  more  play,  as  both 
bait  and  sinkers  are  of  smaller  size  and  lighter  weight,  and 
therefore  require  rather  more  spring  to  cast  them  easily. 
No  better  rod  for  minnow  spinning  can  be  made  than  the  three- 
jointed  bamboo  rod,  which  I  have  described  as  a  double  hand 
fly  rod,  the  top  being  made  suitable  to  the  requirements,  and  it 
does  equally  well  as  I  have  stated  for  worm-fishing.  Some 
anglers,  however,  might  fancy  it  over  long,  and  they  can 
shorten  it  if  they  please.  A  good  many  friends  of  mine  took  a 
strong  fancy  to  it,  and  had  patterns  of  it  made. 

But  to  go  back  to  our  tackle.  The  Une  should  be  of  the 
finest  dressed  eight-plait,  or  even  fine  dressed  Derby  twist 
will  answer,  so  that  it  may  run  as  freely  as  possible.  The 
spinning  trace  should  be  of  fine  gut  below  the  lead,  and  of 
moderately  fine  above  it ;  that  is,  if  the  angler  uses  a  lead, 
as  I  advise  him  to,  in  order  to  avoid  the  twisting  and  kinking 
of  his  hne,  which  will  surely  happen,  to  his  annoyance,  if  he  uses 
the  common  plan  of  biting  three  or  four  large  shot  on  his  trace. 
Indeed,  save  that  the  lead  should  be  about  half  the  weight,  I 
recommend  the  same  plan  and  pattern  as  that  recommended 
for  the  Thames — a  small  "  Field  "  lead,  will  prevent  all  kinking, 
and  answers  the  purpose  well.  The  bait  should  be  about 
two  and  a  half  feet  below  the  lead  ;  as  much  gut  as  the  angler 
chooses  may  be  used  above  it.  Two  swivels  should  be  used 
below  the  lead,  and  one  to  fasten  the  trace  to  the  running 
line. 

For  the  form  of  hooks  to  be  employed,  I  recommend  the 
set  shown  in  the  adjoining  Plate  IX,  Fig.  5  ;  the  mode 
in  which  it  is  baited  is  shown  at  Fig.  6.  This  is  something 
upon  Colonel  Hawker's  principle,  whose  tackle,  Mr.  Pennell 
reminds  us,  was  invented  by  Salter.  I  again  record  the  fact, 
not  that  I  think  there  is  much  to  be  proud  of,  as  it  is  a  very 
clumsy  affair.  The  tackle  I  have  given  occurred  to  me  from 
finding  that  the  tackle  shown  in  Plate  IX,  Fig.  4  (which  is 
commonly  used  in  the  north),  though  simple  enough,  missed 
a  great  many  runs.  No  doubt  a  great  many  anglers,  having 
experienced  the  same  thing  before,  may  have  used  the  same 
method  to  remedy  this  that  I  did.  I  never  saw  it  previously, 
however,  though  I  have  since.  This  tackle  gets  rid  of  the 
double  strand  of  gut  in  Hawker's  and  Salter's  tackle,  which 
I   look   on   as   exceedingly   objectionable";}  indeed   I   would 

I  almost  as  soon  have  gimp  tackle  at  once.  It  also  disposes  of 
the  leaden  cap,  which  is  the  worst  substitute  for  sinkers  and 
i 


212  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

lip-hooks  that  could  possibly  be  devised — deforming  the 
minnow  into  a  tadpole,  pressing  it  down  the  gut  by  its  weight 
until  it  can  hardly  help  describing  a  semicircle,  and  serving 
to  destroy  the  bait,  which  rather  requires  to  be  kept  by  a  hp- 
hook  in  its  place  to  give  it  proper  spinning  power.  If  a  fish 
runs  at  the  head  he  is  missed  for  the  want  of  a  lip-hook,  and  if 
a  flying  triangle  be  wished  for,  in  addition  to  the  tackle  I 
recommend,  the  dotted  Hne  in  Fig.  5  shows  how  it  may  be 
obtained. 

All  these  three  tackles — that  is,  including  Hawker's  or 
Salter's — are  baited  in  the  same  way.  The  bait  generally 
is  a  minnow.  The  point  of  the  large  hook  is  put  in  at  the 
mouth  of  the  minnow,  and  is  kept  as  close  as  possible  to  the 
spine  until  the  minnow  is  worked  on  to  the  hook  ;  the  point 
is  brought  out  at  the  tail.  A  sufficient  crook  is  then  left  for 
the  tail  on  the  bend  of  the  hook ;  and  in  the  first  and  last 
patterns  th?  hp-hook  is  shpped  through  the  Up.  In  Fig.  5 
the  triangle  is  fixed  at  the  shoulder,  and  the  angler  can  try 
how  he  likes  it  on  the  reverse  side  to  the  big  hook.  If  it  does 
not  allow  the  bait  to  spin  well  (as  it  does  not  sometimes),  it 
can  be  easily  shifted  to  the  near  side ;  if  the  bait  spins  well, 
however,  it  increases  the  chance  of  hooking  a  fish  when  he 
runs  at  the  off  side.  The  lip-hook  never  sUdes,  because  with  a 
Uttle  humouring  almost  any  reasonable  minnow  can  be  got  on 
the  hook  and  made  to  spin  ;  but  if  the  angler  wants  a  shding 
Hp-hook,  he  has  only  to  adopt  the  tackle  at  Fig.  7. 

These  are  the  best,  and  indeed  the  only  large  hook  tackles 
worth  notice.  Some  anglers,  however,  prefer  two  or  three 
small  triangles  and  a  Hp-hook  on  a  reduced  Thames  scale ; 
but  there  is  no  small  hook  tackle  that  can  be  named  in  the 
same  day  with  the  large  ones  for  effectiveness.  Some  use 
small  double  hooks  instead  of  triangles  ;  two  or  three  doubles, 
and  a  Hp-hook.  It  is  a  matter  of  choice  ;  I  prefer  the  larger 
hook  myself,  as  not  being  nearly  so  Hkely  to  lose  the  fish  when 
hooked.  If,  however,  triangle  or  double  hook  tackles  be  used, 
the  rules  given  for  Thames  trouting  or  pike  spinning  with 
these  tackles  on  a  larger  scale  will  equally  apply.  To  make 
it  spin  well,  however,  a  minnow  should  be  bent  rather  more 
than  a  dace  or  gudgeon.  If  the  reader  will  glance  at  the 
engraving  of  the  baited  tackle  in  Plate  IX,  Fig.  6,  page  211, 
he  win  form  a  better  idea  of  the  method  than  any  mere 
directions  can  afford  him. 

There  is  another  tackle  used  by  some  anglers,  sometimes 


MINNOW-FISHING  213 

called  the  bead  or  drop  minnow.  The  tackle  is  made  and 
is  used  much  after  the  same  system  as  that  shown  in  Plate  V, 
Fig.  7,  page  78,  as  being  employed  by  the  Nottingham 
spinners.  From  the  junction  of  the  lip-hook  depends  a  pear- 
shaped  pellet  of  lead,  secured  to  the  tackle  by  a  small  ring. 
The  tackle  is  not  reeved  through  the  gill  as  in  the  Nottingham 
plan,  but  the  bead  of  lead  is  forced  into  the  minnow's  mouth, 
which  is  then  closed  by  means  of  the  lip-hook,  the  first  triangle 
being  hooked  in  just  behind  the  back  fin,  so  as  to  give  the  bait 
a  bend,  the  second  triangle  hanging  loose  just  beyond  the  tail. 
It  is  by  no  means  a  bad  tackle  for  a  small  hooked  pattern,  but 
I  do  not  Hke  the  plan  of  putting  lead  inside  the  minnow ; 
baits  thus  treated  very  soon  wear  out  and  cut  through  at 
the  gills  and  throat ;  the  bait  too,  is  rather  apt  to  wobble 
in  this  method  of  baiting.  This  form  of  tackle  is  much  com- 
mended by  Mr.  Pennell  in  his  Book  of  the  Pike. 

Before  using  minnow  tackle,  the  angler  should  always 
soak  it  well,  as  everything  works  and  spins  better  after  a  soak- 
ing than  when  stiff  and  hard.  All  the  swivels,  too,  should  be 
looked  to  that  they  may  work  in  the  freest  possible  manner 
and  without  a  hitch  ;  and  if  any  swivel  does  not  work  well, 
and  cannot  by  oiUng  or  greasing  and  working  be  got  into  good 
order,  it  is  better  to  discard  it  and  use  another,  as  in  practice 
it  will  be  found  useless. 

The  minnows  may  be  carried  in  a  small  tin  box,  strapped 
to  the  left  side,  as  in  the  natural  May  fly-fishing  ;  and  as  at 
times  there  may  be  a  good  deal  of  wading,  and  the  angler 
may  have  to  bait  while  wading,  which  is  an  awkward  job 
unless  he  walks  out  of  the  water  to  the  bank,  which  is  not 
always  desirable,  the  angler  should  have  buttoned  to  his  hip 
a  leather  socket  to  fit  the  butt  of  his  rod.  You  will  find,  brother 
angler,  a  wonderful  comfort  in  this  ;  for  example,  when  land- 
ing your  fish,  put  the  butt  in  the  socket,  and  hold  your  rod  by 
the  left  hand  ;  you  then  have  perfect  command  over  your 
fish  without  any  strain  on  the  arm,  and  you  have  your  right 
hand  perfectly  free  to  work  the  net  and  lift  the  fish  out ;  when 
you  have  lifted  him  out  and  disposed  of  your  net,  the  rod 
rests  in  the  hollow  of  the  arm,  and  both  hands  can  be  employed 
upon  the  fish  and  the  hooks. 

And  now  as  to  casting.  Unless  you  are  casting  long  casts 
from  the  bank,  you  do  not  adopt  the  Thames  style,  but  with 
a  long  rod,  and  rather  more  line  out  than  the  length  of  the  rod, 
'  ^ou  swing  the  bait  upwards  by  the  underhand  swing.    This  is 


214  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

the  general  plan,  but  I  adopt  a  much  better  one,  and  get  out 
more  line  than  can  be  got  out  in  this  way,  by  adopting  the 
method  described  at  page  45  in  Nottingham  dace-fishing. 
By  this  plan  the  angler  can  get  out  nearly  twice  the  length 
of  his  rod  ;   and  that  is  enough  to  work  pleasantly  with. 

Some  fishermen  fish  up-stream  and  some  down  ;  but  though 
drawing  down-stream  has  some  advantages,  yet  in  doing  so 
the  angler  must  spin  faster  than  is  quite  advisable.  To  throw 
slantwise  across  and  downwards  when  the  water  is  at  all 
coloured,  and  upwards,  perhaps,  when  it  is  clear,  if  it  be  found 
desirable  from  the  shyness  of  the  fish,  may  be  considered  the 
best  plan  generally.  I  do  not  like  spinning  the  minnow  either 
directly  up  or  down-stream.  If  the  angler  is  wading,  he  can 
either  wade  down  or  up,  according  to  the  above  rule,  casting 
upon  either  hand  as  he  goes,  and  drawing  the  bait  round  into 
the  stream  below  with  a  steady  and  moderately  fast  sweep. 
While  the  bait  is  making  the  bend  round  into  the  stream  is, 
in  nine  times  out  of  ten,  the  moment  when  the  fish  takes  it. 
Do  not  spin  too  fast,  or  you  run  away  from  the  fish,  but  spin 
just  fast  enough  to  make  the  bait  spin  well,  which  it  should 
do  easily.  If  a  fish  makes  a  dash  in  the  water  at  the  bait, 
but  misses  it,  spin  steadily  on  as  though  he  had  not  done  so, 
and  he  may  come  again.  For  although  a  trout  may  once  in  a 
way  take  a  bait  when  it  is  checked  (and  I  have  known  them 
even  to  pick  it  off  the  bottom),  yet  a  sudden  stoppage  is  more 
likely  to  alarm  than  reassure  the  already  shy  fish.  There 
are  only  certain  parts  of  a  stream  where  fish  take  the  minnow 
well :  for  instance,  in  the  rough  water  at  the  head  of  the 
stream  for  a  few  yards,  and  again,  though  not  so  well,  at  the 
extreme  tail ;  the  body  of  the  stream  seldom  gives  many  fish. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  angler  will  not  get  one  now  and 
then,  particularly  if  the  fish  are  plentiful ;  but  by  far  the  best 
place  for  the  minnow  is  the  first  few  yards  of  each  stream.* 
Dull  pools,  as  a  matter  of  course,  are  not  commended  for 
minnow,  though  at  times  any  water  will  give  fish  to  the  minnow 
if  they  are  there  ;  but  sharp  ratthng  or  swiftly  ghding  water 
is  far  preferable. 

When  a  fish  runs,  some  anglers  hit  him  hard,  and  some 
raise  the  point  of  the  rod  and  tighten  the  Une,  and  hold  on  to 

*  This,  of  course,  applies  chiefly  to  streams  where  minnow  is  habitually 
used.  In  streams  where  it  is  not  commonly  used  the  trout  will  take  it  almost 
anywhere,  even  in  almost  still  water  for  a  time  ;  but  they  soon  become 
aware  of  it. — F.  F, 


PRESERVED  BAITS  215 

him  for  a  second.  I  think  a  strike  is  preferable.  If  a  fish  will 
stand  striking  tolerably  sharply  you  know  that  the  hook  is 
home.  If  he  will  not,  it  is  better  to  be  quit  of  him  at  once  than 
to  disturb  the  water  by  playing  him,  and  then  to  lose  him  after 
all.  I  am  sure  that  many  good  fish  are  lost  by  not  striking,  or 
rather  not  striking  sharp  enough  ;  but  do  not  on  any  account 
strike  until  you  feel  the  tug  of  the  fish — if  you  do  you  will  often 
scare  him.  The  best  time  for  the  minnow  is  at  the  commence- 
ment of  a  flood,  when  the  water  is  rising,  as  the  fish  are  then  all 
over  the  water  in  search  of  the  food  that  is  beginning  to  come 
down. 

The  same  plan  may  be  used  for  preserving  minnows  as  I 
have  recommended  for  large  trout  and  jack-baits,  namely,  of 
preserving  them  in  spirits  of  wine.*  It  is  a  far  better  one  than 
the  common  plan  of  salting,  as  salting  the  minnows  renders 
them  soft,  so  that  every  run  will  be  hkely  to  cost  you  a  fresh 
bait  whether  you  get  a  fish  or  no,  while  the  colour  and  brilHancy 
are  much  impaired.  One  thing,  however,  I  have  remarked, 
and  I  have  heard  other  anglers  remark  the  same  thing,  though 
it  may  only  be  a  fancy  difficult  to  prove,  viz.  that  trout  seem 
to  like  the  flavour  of  a  salted  minnow,  and,  after  missing  it, 
often  dash  at  it  more  savagely  than  they  do  at  a  fresh  one. 
I  may  say,  too,  that  the  very  best  trout  I  ever  caught  in  my 
life,  weighing  twelve  pounds  and  a  quarter,  and  which  I  have 
now  in  a  case  (it  was  beautifully  set  up  by  Cooper,  that  prince 
of  fish  stuffers) ,  was  caught  with  a  salted  dace  ;  and  the  fish 
took  it  so  greedily  that  he  almost  swallowed  it,  some  of  the 
hooks  being  nearly  in  his  throat.  There  may  be  something  in 
this,  or  there  may  be  nothing  beyond  the  trout  being  hungry  ; 
but,  as  I  have  said,  I  have  heard  other  anglers  make  the  same 
remark,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  a  fish  should  not  indulge 
in  a  taste. 

With  regard  to  spinning  a  minnow  in  small  trout  rivers, 
I  have  only  this  advice  to  give  :  do  not  do  it  if  it  be  a  fair 
fly-fishing  stream,  and  the  stream  be  in  at  all  fly-fishing  order  ; 
you  spoil  the  sport,  probably,  of  many  others  who  may  be 

(fly-fishing  after  you,  for  a  slight  increase  of  sport  for  your- 
self— a  very  selfish  consideration,  and  very  exasperating  to  the 
others.  Indeed,  were  I  the  owner  of  a  good  trout  stream,  I 
would  allow  neither  minnow,  worm,  live-fly,  nor  night-fishing  ; 
when  the  trout  will  not  take  the  fly  fairly  before  dark,  they 

I  should  have  the  benefit  of  their  knowledge.    Large  bags  would 
*  See  first  footnote  on  p.  86. — Ed, 


2i6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

not  be  made  thus,  but  moderate  sport  in  fair  weather  would 
be  got  through  the  season.  In  some  rivers  much  of  the  water 
is  heavy  and  not  very  favourable  mayhap  for  fly-fishing,  and 
spinning  is  therefore  allowed  ;  but  I  say,  never  mind  the  heavy 
waters,  they  will  form  reservoirs  or  depots  whence  the  shallower 
fly-fishing  portions  can  be  kept  stocked,  for  the  good  fish  will 
come  on  to  the  shallows  at  times  to  feed,  and  one  good  fish 
caught  with  the  fly  is  worth  three  caught  with  minnow,  in 
point  of  sport.  If,  however,  it  be  held  indispensable  that 
minnow  should  be  allowed,  do  not  let  it  clash  with  the  fly, 
but  prohibit  it  until  the  latter  end  of  the  season,  when  it  may 
be  used  for  a  limited  time  when  the  fly  becomes  only  doubtfully 
attractive. 

Very  few  words  are  suflicient  for  par-tail  fishing,  as  the 
method  is  precisely  similar  to  minnow  spinning.  The  tackle 
almost  invariably  used  is  that  shown  in  Plate  IX,  Fig.  5, 
page  211.  To  cut  a  par-tail  bait :  take  a  sharp  knife  and  slice 
the  Httle  fish  through  from  the  fore  part  of  the  dorsal  fin  to 
midway  between  the  anal  and  ventral  fins,  cut  off  the  fins, 
thread  the  big  hook  down  through  the  bait,  beginning  at  the 
tail,  and  bending  the  fine  end  of  the  cut  on  the  bend  of  the 
hook  to  give  the  twist,  hook  on  the  lip-hook,  and  let  the  tri- 
angle hang  loose.  N.B.  Take  particular  care  the  water- 
bailiff  does  not  note  your  operations,  or  you  will  very  probably 
be  fined  for  killing  salmon  fry  ;  for  this  reason  I  say  little 
about  the  par-tail,  but  I  feel  bound  to  notice  it,  as  it  is  a  style 
which  has  prevailed,  chiefly  in  the  north,  for  many  years. 

In  spinning  in  lakes,  the  style  of  tackle  recommended  for 
Thames  trout  should  be  used.  It  should  be  pretty  heavily 
weighted,  the  line  paid  out  some  forty  or  fifty  yards  behind 
the  boat,  the  rod  depending  over  either  quarter  of  the  stern. 
The  water  between  deep  and  shallow  will  be  found  the  favourite 
lay  for  good  fish  ;  then  row  slowly  and  steadily  along,  trailing 
the  bait  behind.  In  all  other  matters,  much  that  I  have 
already  said  as  to  lake-fishing  will  apply. 


THE  GRAYLING  (Thymallus  vulgaris) 

I  have  a  very  high  opinion  of  this  fish.  If  the  trout  be 
the  gentleman  of  the  streams,  the  grayUng  is  certainly  the 
lady,  and  I  think  it  in  some  respects  little  inferior  to  the 
trout,  andJn;^others  superior  to  him  ;    for  example,  grayling 


HABITS  OF  THE  GRAYLING  217 

seldom  become  so  shy  as  trout  do.  There  are  many  well- 
whipped  streams  where,  after  the  middle  of  July,  unless 
specially  favoured  by  the  water  and  weather,  you  have  little 
or  no  hope  of  getting  a  trout  of  any  size  to  move  until  dusk 
or  almost  dark  ;  yet  come  upon  a  bit  of  grayHng  water  in  such 
streams,  and  you  are  almost  as  Hkely  to  take  a  brace  of  gray- 
ling in  August  as  you  are  in  May.  The  grayling  suppUes,  too, 
capital  fly-fishing  from  the  time  the  trout  goes  out  almost  until 
he  comes  in  again.  The  worst  point  of  comparison  is  in  his 
play,  and  in  this  he  is  certainly  inferior  to  the  trout,  for 
although  when  hooked  he  requires  much  more  tender  treat- 
ment, and  is  far  more  Hable  to  part  company  with  you  than  the 
trout,  his  play  after  a  very  short  time  is  too  often  composed  of 
a  series  of  rolls  and  tumbles,  which  are  less  graceful  and  pleasing 
than  the  rapid  motion  and  sharp  resistance  of  the  trout ;  in 
fact,  though  now  and  then  one  would  fight  very  boldly  and 
well,  too  often  they  behave  as  a  trout  might  be  imagined  to 
do  if  he  had  been  drinking  success  to  the  May  fly  rather  too 
freely. 

Grayling  should  not  be  fished  for  till  August ;  they  are 
not  worth  eating  before  that,  and  not  very  good  then.  A 
September  fish  is  better  than  an  August  fish,  October  better 
than  September,  and  November  best  of  all.  All  through  the 
winter,  on  a  warm,  sunny  midday,  you  may  get  sport ;  and 
even  if  it  be  not  a  warm  sunny  day,  you  need  hardly  despair 
as  the  fish  are  in  condition  in  winter,  and  must  needs  feed  at 
some  time,  though  certainly  a  gUmpse  of  sunshine  serves  to 
bring  out  the  flies,  and  to  bring  up  the  fish  wonderfully.        vj^ 

Another  good  point  in  the  grayling,  too,  is,  that  he  is  not 
like  the  trout  in  his  method  of  feeding.  When  a  trout  is  feeding 
at  the  bottom,  as  a  rule,  he  will  not  look  at  the  top,  and  when 
the  rise  of  the  fly  is  over  on  very  many  trout  rivers,  there  is  an 
end  of  your  trout-fishing,  pro  tern.  ;  on  others,  if  you  see  no 
trout  moving,  it  is  useless  to  whip  the  water.  When  fly  is 
rising,  trout  take  up  a  position  favourable  to  rising  at  the  fly, 
and  favourable  to  their  securing  it  with  the  least  trouble,  and 
in  the  least  possible  depth  of  water,  which  they  can  con- 
veniently rise  through.  But  whether  it  be  that  the  huge  dorsal 
fin  in  the  grayling  permits  him  to  rise  much  more  rapidly 
through  deeper  water  than  the  trout  or  no,  I  cannot  say  ;  but 
these  conditions  do  not  always  exercise  the  same  control  over 
the  rising  of  the  grayhng.  It  is  (barring  bad  weather,  when 
nothing  could  be  expected  to  move)  always  a  favourable  time 


2i8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

for  him.  He  has  always  one  of  his  Httle  lozenge-shaped  eyes  on 
the  top  of  the  water  as  well  as  at  the  bottom,  and  no  matter 
whether  there  be  fly  on  the  water  or  not,  whether  you  see  a 
fish  break  the  surface  or  no,  you  have  still  a  chance  with  the 
grayling ;  and  my  advice  to  the  young  hand  at  grayhng- 
fishing  is — fish  away,  never  mind^two  straws  what  the  water 
may  be,  fish  the  whole  of  it,  and  fish  it  out,  and  never  neglect 
the  deep  still  reaches,  as  grayhng  lie  and  take  better  in  them 
(particularly  early  in  the  season)  than  trout  do  ;  if  fish  are  not 
moving,  search  the  banks  well,  and  you  always  have  a  chance 
with  the  grayhng.  Of  course  I  am  not  assuming  that  you  will 
always  be  certain  of  sport,  but  I  have  often  had  the  best  sport 
when  I  have  not  seen  a  fish  rise  save  at  my  own  fly. 

A  grayling  rises  very  quickly,  and  also  refuses  quickly,  and 
when  he  does  rise  you  can  hardly  strike  too  soon  ;  but  as, 
more  particularly  in  deepish  water,  he  has  to  rise  from  some 
depth,  you  should  not  hurry  the  fly  in  casting,  but  make  your 
cast  rather  drag.  For  this  reason,  fishing  up-stream  and 
drawing  down  is  not  the  best  method  of  fishing,  because  you  do 
not  give  the  fish  time,  and  all  experienced  grayling  fishers  cast 
directly  across  stream  as  close  as  possible  to  the  opposite  bank, 
where  the  best  fish  of  course  lie,  and  let  it  drag  slowly  round 
down-stream,  bringing  it  round  by  so  directing  the  point  of  the 
rod  even  to  your  own  bank.  For  the  same  reason,  a  little  bit  of 
tinsel  is  often  used  in  grayhng  flies,  which  in  all  other  respects 
do  not  differ  from  those  used  for  trout.  Grayling  are  very 
partial  to  the  little  blue  and  yellow  duns  and  spinners,  and 
these  always  prove  the  great  piece  de  resistance  in  the  choice  of 
flies  for  grayling.  A  grayling,  though  he  is  not  diflicult,  unless 
very  much  whipped  over,  to  rise  to  your  fly,  is  scarcely  so  easy 
to  basket.  It  is  not  at  all  uncommon  for  him  to  rise  four  or  five 
times,  sometimes  refusing  altogether,  and  sometimes  taking 
after  all.  A  trout  seldom  rises  fairly  above  twice,  and  if  he 
refuses  twice  you  may  leave  him,  as  you  do  more  harm  than 
good  in  casting  over  him.  Not  so  with  a  grayling  :  after  three 
or  four  rises,  give  him  a  minute,  and  then  come  over  him  again 
either  with  the  same  or  a  fresh  fly,  and  he  will  as  often  as  not 
fasten. 

When  you  have  hooked  a  grayling,  your  next  job  is  to  land 
him  ;  and  here  though  his  play,  as  I  have  said,  is  by  no  means 
so  lively  and  varied  as  that  of  the  trout,  yet  is  the  kind  of 
resistance  he  makes  more  dangerous  to  the  hold  you  have  of 
him  than  the  running  to  and  fro  of  the  trout,  for  your  grayling 


PLATE  X. 


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To  face  Page  219 


Imitations  of  Grubs  and  Beetles, 


BAITS  FOR  GRAYLING  219 

tries  the  hold  of  the  hook  in  every  possible  way,  and  from  every 
opposite  point  and  direction  of  that  hold,  and  usually  hangs  all 
his  weight  on  the  Hne  at  the  same  time.  Having  a  very  soft  and 
dehcate  mouth,  it  is  common  enough  for  them  to  break  away  ; 
and  the  bigger  the  fish  the  more  tenderly  you  must  treat  them. 
There  are  twice  or  three  times  the  number  of  grayling  lost  after 
hooking  that  there  are  of  trout. 

Of  course,  the  grayhng  rises  best  in  the  morning  and  evening 
when  the  flies  are  about  thickest,  that  is,  during  the  summer 
and  autumn,  but  he  will  none  the  less,  as  I  have  said,  rise  all 
day  to  some  extent.  In  winter,  the  middle  day  fishing  is  the 
best ;  evening,  save  under  very  favourable  circumstances 
indeed,  being  comparatively  useless. 

There  are  various  ways  of  taking  the  grayling — by  the 
grasshopper,  by  the  gentle  or  maggot,  by  the  caddis  bait, 
or  by  worm,  but  I  hesitate  to  notice  them,  as  the  grayhng  is 
such  a  sporting  fish,  and  so  free  to  rise  to  all  comers,  that  it  is 
a  disgrace  and  a  shame  to  treat  him  like  a  poacher,  with  worms 
and  such  abominations.  Still,  as  in  an  angUng  book  one  has  to 
consult  everybody's  tastes  but  one's  own,  I  suppose  I  must 
give  the  information,  or  it  would  be  considered  an  "  hiatus," 
though  not  perhaps  "  valde  defiendus." 

The  most  slaughtering  way  of  fishing  for  grayling  is  with  the 
grasshopper.  The  grasshopper,  so-called,  is  not  a  grasshopper 
at  all,  and  though  actually  an  artificial  bait,  in  nowise  resembles 
a  grasshopper  :  why  it  should  have  been  called  a  grasshopper 
any  more  than  a  gooseberry,  which  it  much  more  resembles,  I 
cannot  conceive.  No  matter  ;  this  is  the  grasshopper.  Take 
a  No.  5  or  6  trout-hook  ;  lap  round  the  shank  some  lead, 
enough  to  sink  it  pretty  quickly ;  over  this  wind  Berhn  wool  of 
various  colours,  chiefly  green,  with  a  few  turns  of  yellow 
or  red,  or  both,  until  you  have  a  thing  resembling  Fig.  2, 
in  Plate  X.  Mr.  Wheatley,  an  angler  of  great  experience 
in  this  kind  of  fishing,  and  whose  illustrations  I  have 
borrowed,  recommends  Fig.  i,  and  its  advantage  is  evident. 
Fig.  3,  on  the  same  plate,  gives  an  illustration  of  a  wasp-grub 
imitation,  made  of  a  very  light  buff  or  dirty  white  wool,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  grasshopper,  which  is  almost  equally  killing 
for  grayling  and  trout. 

With  as  much  line  as  you  can  conveniently  cast  and  work, 
pitch  your  bait  into  every  likely  place,  particularly  into  every 
deep  eddy  and  swirly  hole,  working  it  up  and  down,  sinking 
and  drawing  with  constant  short  jerks  of  the  wrist,  never 


I 


220  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

allowing  it  to  remain  still  an  instant,  until  the  whole  of  the 
water  be  thoroughly  searched  ;  at  every  touch  strike  pretty 
smartly,  but  not  violently,  and  disturb  the  water  as  little  as 
possible  in  landing  your  fish,  as  in  October  and  November, 
when  this  deadly  lure  is  chiefly  used,  the  fish  are  often  congre- 
gated in  good  numbers  in  any  favourite  hole,  and  with  caution 
many  may  be  caught  before  the  rest  are  scared.  Wheatley 
recommends  a  float  as  an  addendum  to  this  process — out  on  it ! 
and  he  also  recommends  the  point  of  the  hook  to  be  tipped  with 
a  bait  of  worm  or  a  maggot,  to  flavour  it. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  deadly  nature  of  these  baits  on 
some  streams,  I  have  known  instances  where  by  the  use  of 
it,  large  twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds  baskets  have  been 
filled  and  emptied  three  times  over  in  one  day's  fishing  by 
a  single  rod,  and  they  are  always  the  best  and  largest  fish. 
It  is  quite  incomprehensible,  as  on  other  rivers  they  take 
no  more  notice  of  the  bait  than  they  would  of  a  turnip ;  its 
use  being  confined  chiefly  to  the  Worcester  and  Shropshire 
streams — the  tributaries  of  the  Severn,  in  fact.  It  has  often 
been  tried  in  Hampshire,  and  has  not  yet  succeeded,  as  far 
as  I  know.  I  dare  say  it  would  do  in  the  Derbyshire  Wye,  but 
only  fly  is  allowed  there  fortunately.  At  Leintwardine,  on  the 
Teme,  it  was  allowed  for  a  short  time,  and  the  slaughter  made 
of  the  grayling  was  positively  dreadful,  and  it  was  again 
prohibited,  save  for  about  four  days  in  the  year,  that  is,  two 
days  before  and  two  after  the  annual  dinner  at  Leintwardine, 
as  a  sort  of  bonne  bouche  for  those  who  go  down  to  the  dinner. 
Tremendous  bags  are  made  then,  but  it  is  found  that  its  use 
spoils  the  fly-fishing,  as  does  the  minnow  with  trout ;  and  it 
has  been  clearly  proved  there  that  when  it  is  not  used  the  big 
grayling  rise  much  more  freely  to  the  fly.  It  is  certainly  an 
artificial  bait,  and  that  is  all  that  can  be  said  for  it ;  if  it  be 
used,  some  restriction  should  be  placed  on  it. 

Grayling  are  also  fond  of  the  maggot  or  gentle,  and  may  be 
whipped  for  with  them,  the  bait  sinking  even  to  mid-water  at 
times,  or  a  very  light  quill-float,  with  about  three  shots — a 
tripping  bait — a  few  gentles  being  thrown  in  now  and  then  as 
ground-bait.  A  Nottingham  line  and  reel  may  be  employed. 
A  red  worm  may  also  be  used  either  in  the  same  way  or  with  a 
free  line,  as  for  trout,  and  that  certainly  is  the  more  sportsman- 
like plan  of  the  two.  All  these  plans,  though  possible,  are  not 
to  my  mind  legitimate,  as  there  is  scarcely  any  reasonable 
water  or  weather  when  grayhng  will  altogether  refuse  the  fly  ; 


WHEN  GRAYLING  ARE  IN  SEASON  221 

and  though,  in  a  book  in  which  it  is  my  desire  to  give  the 
fullest  information  upon  every  style  of  anghng,  I  feel  bound 
to  mention  these  methods,  I  do  not  feel  disposed  to  enlarge 
much  upon  them,  as  I  certainly  never  would  resort  to  them 
myself.  Sometimes  a  grayUng  may  be  taken  with  the  minnow, 
but  it  is  rather  an  accident  than  otherwise.  In  Uke  manner 
barbel  and  chub  take  a  minnow  or  small  gudgeon,  but  no  one 
would  fish  thus  for  them.  It  is  needless  to  say  fish  fine  for 
grayling,  as  if  you  do  not  you  will  soon  learn  to.  A  wee  silver 
dun  with  a  tinsel  body,  and  the  lightest  blue  hackle,  is  a  prime 
favourite  everywhere. 

As  I  have  said,  grayling  are  in  the  best  season  in  the  autumn 
and  winter.  Indeed,  they  should  not  be  taken  till  August,  and 
all  caught  before  that  period  should  be  returned  ;  but  un- 
fortunately a  grayling,  more  particularly  the  female  grayUng,* 
always,  even  directly  after  spawning,  looks  so  bright  and  clean, 
and  so  plump,  that  it  is  not  until  it  is  cooked  the  novice 
discovers  he  has  a  very  indifferent  fish  before  him.  In  truth,  at 
this  time,  and  for  long  after,  the  fish  is  scarcely  eatable,  and 
until  August  at  least  is  not  worth  a  rush.  Cut  a  grayling  in 
June,  and  cut  one  in  November,  and  the  difference  is  most 
remarkable.  Although  in  June  he  may  be  a  handsome-shaped 
and  bright-looking  fish,  his  play  is  unusually  dull,  and  his  flesh 
like  that  of  an  indifferent  roach,  soft,  spongy,  and  flavourless. 
In  November  he  has  a  blue  bloom  on  him  hke  a  rich  plum  ; 
he  has  a  pecuhar  and  strong  fragrance  when  handled,  which  is 
said  to  be  hke  thyme,  and  is  so  to  some  little  extent,  and  his 
black  spots  contrast  brilUantly  with  the  dazzling  silver  of  his 
belly  ;  and  as  for  his  flesh,  it  is  as  hard,  firm,  and  flaky  as  a 
trout's  when  in  the  best  condition. 

Throw  him  in  again,  then,  brother  fisherman,  till  at  least 
the  middle  of  July  be  turned.  Whereas,  if  you  do  take  him  in 
May  or  June,  listen  to  my  solemn  anathema,  and  let  it  lie  heavy 
on  your  soul.  May  your  rod  top  smash  at  the  ferrule,  and  the 
brazing  stick  in  tight  at  the  commencement  of  your  "  crack 
day  of  the  season,"  and  may  you  be  unable  to  beg,  borrow,  or 
steal  another  rod  within  twenty  miles.  May  you  travel 
hundreds  of  miles  into  a  strange  country,  find  the  river  in 
splendid  ply,  and  then  discover  that  you  have  left  your  reel  at 
home.  May  you  bait  a  pet  pitch  for  a  week  in  order  to  have  a 
stunning  day  with  your  dear  old  pal,  Jorkins,  and  when  you 

The  male  is  often  ugly,  long-headed,  lead-coloured,  and  black-bellied, 
er  spawning,  the  female  hardly  ever. — F.  F. 


f 


222  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

step  out  in  the  grey  of  the  morning,  with  everything  in  readi- 
ness for  a  slaughtering  day,  find  your  hatred  and  detestation, 
that — anathematised — Tomkins  fishing  it,  and  having  no  end 
of  sport,  such,  indeed,  as  you  have  never  had,  and  hardly  hope 
to  have  ever  again  ;  and  now  go  and  catch  your  grayling  in 
May  and  June,  and  much  good  may  they  do  you.  I  hope 
you'll  eat  'em — all  of  'em — that's  aU ;  and  that  your  wife 
will  have  locked  up  the  brandy,  and  gone  out  for  a  day  or  two  ; 
and  please  send  for  Dr.  Francis  to  administer  consolation. 
Ha  !  ha  !  ho  !  I  hate  a  man  who  slaughters  kelts  and  ill- 
conditioned  fish  more  than  any  other  species  of  poacher  going. 
What  good  does  it  do  him  ?  He  has  had  his  sport.  Let  him  be 
satisfied  ;  and  let  the  poor  beast  live  to  grow  fat  and  healthy, 
and  don't  take  a  mean  advantage  of  starvation  and 
illness. 

Grayling  are  supposed  not  to  have  been  indigenous  to 
England,  but  to  have  been  transplanted  hither  by  the  monks  ; 
but  we  have  no  direct  proof  of  this,  and  the  collateral  evidence 
is  worth  nothing.*  First,  it  is  assumed  that  they  were  so 
introduced  by  the  monks  because  on  or  near  every  river 
containing  grayling  there  are  the  remains  of  monastic  institu- 
tions. I  am  not  quite  sure  that  this  is  invariably  so,  but  if  it 
were,  one  might  easily  ask  whether  in  the  first  place  the  monks 
came  to  the  grayling  with  that  perspicacity  they  are  so  remark- 
able for,  or  whether  the  grayling  came  to  them.  Again,  it 
might  be  asked,  how  many  rivers  of  any  note  are  there  in  the 
country  on  or  near  which,  in  some  sort,  institutions  of 
monastic  origin  have  always  been  absent?  I  am  not  at  all 
convinced,  clever  though  the  monks  were  in  fish  matters,  that 
they  introduced  grayling,  and  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think 
that  if  they  had  introduced  them,  the  introduction  would 
scarcely  be  so  partial  as  it  is.  Grayling  abound  in  many  of  the 
Scandinavian  rivers  and  lakes,  and  are  found  in  very  many  of 

*  Grayling  are  undoubtedly  indigenous  in  the  rivers  of  the  English  east 
coast  from  the  Yare  of  Norfolk  to  the  Humber,  including  the  Trent  and  all 
its  tributaries.  Its  presence  there  dates  from  a  remote  period  when  these 
rivers  were  tributaries  of  the  Rhine  as  it  flowed  through  the  great  plain  now 
covered  by  the  North  Sea.  That  the  grayling  is  not  indigenous  to  the  Thames 
(where  it  has  been  introduced  in  recent  years)  seems  either  to  imply  that 
some  obstruction  prevented  its  access  to  that  river  from  the  Rhine,  or  to 
confirm  the  theory  of  Sir  Andrew  Ramsay  (1814-1891),  sometime  President 
of  the  Geological  Society,  that  the  Thames  originally  flowed  from  east  to 
west  into  the  Severn  Valley,  and  that  its  course  v/as  reversed  in  consequence 
of  the  depression  which  formed  the  North  Sea  and  an  eastward  tilt  of  the 
chalk  and  eocene  beds  through  which  the  Thames  flows. — Ed. 


GRAYLING  v.  TROUT  223 

the  German  and  Swiss  rivers  ;  and  that  they  should  also  be 
found  in  some  of  the  English  rivers  is  perhaps  not  much  more 
surprising  than  that  the  trout  or  other  fish  common  ahke  to 
England  and  the  Continent  should  be  found  in  both.  However, 
it  is  not  a  matter  of  much  consequence  to  us.  The  matter  that 
is  of  consequence  is,  that  the  fish  suits  many  of  our  streams, 
and  would  suit  many  more  if  it  were  introduced  to  them.  It  is 
found  in  the  Teme,  the  Lugg,  the  Wye,  and  their  tributaries, 
wherever  they  are  found  to  suit  it.  It  is  found  in  many  of  the 
Yorkshire  rivers,  the  Ure  and  the  Swale  especially.  It  is  found 
in  the  Derbyshire  streams,  as  the  Wye,  the  Derwent,  and  the 
Dove.  It  is  found  in  the  Hampshire  rivers,  the  Avon,  Itchen, 
and  Test ;  but  here  we  know  that  it  has  been  introduced,  and 
has  succeeded  fairly.  It  has  been  brought  also  into  the  Clyde, 
where  it  has  thriven  well.  But  there  are  very  many  other 
rivers,  as  several  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Thames,  where  it 
could  be  easily  naturahsed,  as  the  two  Colnes,  the  Windrush, 
parts  of  the  Mole,  the  Darent,  the  Wey,  the  Brent,  and  others, 
for  it  is  not  every  river  which  will  suit  the  grayling  ;  whereas 
almost  any  river,  if  not  already  overrun  with  coarse  fish,  will 
suit  the  trout,  if  there  are  any  shallows  at  all  for  it  to  spawn  on. 
Grayling  love  deep  eddies  and  quiet  reaches,  but  they  also 
like  sharp  and  rapid  shallows — a  weedy  shallow  which  ends  in 
a  deep  safe  eddy,  with  a  gravelly  bottom,  and  loamy  hollowed- 
out  banks,  being  the  especial  abiding-place  of  grayling  ;  and 
where  these  alternate  with  sharp  bends,  full  of  nooks  and 
corners  of  refuge,  the  stream  will  suit  grayling  to  admira- 
tion. 

I  must  touch  on  one  other  point  before  I  have  done  with 
grayling.  It  is  said  that  they  diminish  the  trout.  I  doubt 
much  if  they  diminish  the  trout  more  than  the  trout  them- 
selves do.  They  will  eat  trout  spawn,  and  so  will  a  hungry 
trout,  and  that  to  any  extent.  But  I  have  fished  some  of  the 
best  grayling  streams,  and  trout,  both  large  and  small,  were 
fairly  abundant,  store-fish  being  by  no  means  wanting.  The 
grayling,  of  course,  deprives  the  trout  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
food  he  would  have  if  left  to  himself,  and  it  is  a  curious  fact 
that  in  good  grayling  streams  the  trout  are  seldom  of  so  good 
quaUty  or  condition  as  they  are  in  pure  trout  streams.  Whether 
this  be  at  all  owing  to  the  grayling  or  no,  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
I  do  not  think  that  any  number  of  grayling  diminish  the  trout 
more  than  the  same  number  of  trout  would,  and  the  more 
particularly  as  grayling  do  not  habitually  feed  on  the  fry,  or 


224  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

on  their  own  offspring,  while  trout  do  greedily  ;  and  for  this 
reason  alone  grayling  will  increase  faster  than  trout,  as  this 
source  of  destruction  (a  very  large  one  in  mere  trout  streams)  is 
wanting  as  regards  the  grayling.  Grayling  certainly  are  more 
of  burrowers  and  ground  feeders  than  trout,  and  if  it  be  thought 
that  the  grayling  do  really  diminish  the  trout,  a  little  artificial 
breeding  would  easily  keep  up  the  balance.  But  I  conceive 
that  when  grayhng  are  introduced  into  fairly  stocked  pure 
trout  streams,  the  following  change  takes  place  :  as  the  gray- 
ling increase,  the  trout  must  either  fall  off  in  condition  or 
diminish  in  number  somehow,  for  a  stream  will  only  support 
a  certain  number  of  fish  up  to  a  certain  size  and  condition  ;  and 
if,  for  example,  it  holds  five  thousand  trout  you  cannot  put 
five  thousand  grayling  into  it  as  well,  and  still  keep  up  the 
number  and  condition  of  your  trout.  But  if,  for  the  sake  of 
extending  your  sport  for  many  months,  or  for  the  variety,  you 
are  satisfied  with  a  slight  diminution  in  the  weight  of  your 
baskets  of  trout,  then  you  can  do  well  enough  ;  or,  if  this  does 
not  suit,  then  you  must  resort  to  a  large  system  of  artificial 
feeding.  To  what  extent  we  can  or  could  carry  this  point  of 
the  question  in  an  open  stream,  is  a  calculation  which  experi- 
ments in  fish  culture,  to  be  carried  out  in  the  future,  alone  can 
assure  us  of.  Everybody  can  understand  that  if  a  field  of 
turnips  will  support  fifty  sheep  for  a  month,  and  you  turn 
twenty  cows  into  it  as  well,  the  field  will  not  support  the 
additional  call  made  on  it  for  the  same  period  ;  but  if  you 
choose  on  this  space  to  draw  cart-loads  of  turnips,  then  you  can 
support  any  reasonable  quantity  of  stock  as  long  as  you  like, 
and  even  fatten  them  like  pigs  or  prize  cattle,  the  increase  being 
regulated  by  the  quantity  of  turnips  you  draw  on.  A  stream  is 
in  this  sense  a  field  of  turnips,  and  you  must  till  it  and  stock  it 
accordingly  ;  but  you  must  not  be  surprised,  if  you  starve 
your  cattle,  at  their  being  in  poor  condition,  or  even  at  their 
eating  each  other's  tails  off,  or  even  at  their  dying  out.  Gray- 
ling do  not  eat  trout  fry,  or  but  a  very  few  of  them,  but  trout 
do  devour  grayling  fry  ;  so  I  am  inclined  to  give  the  balance 
of  destruction  in  reality  to  the  trout,  which  is  without  excep- 
tion the  most  voracious  and  omnivorous  of  all  fish.  Grayling 
are  not  so  easy  to  transplant  from  one  river  to  another  as  trout, 
as  the  ova  are  much  more  tender  than  those  of  trout,  and  if  the 
weather  should  happen  to  set  in  warm  in  April  and  May,  they 
become  very  difficult  to  hatch  and  rear,  and  very  liable  to  go 
off  wholesale.    In  rivers  where  these  fish  do  take,  however,  they 


GRAYLING  INJURIOUS  TO  TROUT 


225 


soon  thrive  and  make  their  way  rapidly,  often  in  a  few  years 
outnumbering  the  trout  which  may  have  tenanted  the  river 
before  them.* 


*  Probably  most  persons  interested  in  or  owning  tine  trout  streams  would 
gladly  get  rid  of  grayling  altogether,  were  that  possible.  Grayling  spawn  in 
spring,  when  there  is  the  maximum  of  insect  life  to  keep  trout  busy  ;  but 
trout  spawn  in  late  autumn  when  flies  are  scarce,  and  grayling,  in  the  height 
of  condition  at  that  season,  feed  sumptuously  upon  trout  spawn. — Ed. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    SALMON 

The   Rod — The   Reel   and   Line — How  to   use   them — Casting — Striking- 
Playing  a  Salmon — Sea  Trout  Fishing 

I  HAVE  now  brought  the  student  on  through  all  the 
various  grades  of  angUng,  from  the  first  and  earliesi 
efforts  of  the  tyro  amongst  the  smallest  and  most 
insignificant  quarries  of  the  angler's  art,  up  to  what  h 
usually  considered  the  last  and  highest  walk  of  his  skill — the 
capture  of  the  lordly  salmon.  If  I  have  been  somewhat  lengthy, 
the  angler  must  remember  that  he  has  reached,  in  the  short 
space  of  225  pages,  the  point  which  it  took  me — as  it  does  many 
others — nearly  twenty  years  to  reach. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  salmon-fishing  is  sport  for  kings. 
Fox-hunting  is  a  noble  pastime,  and  the  first  burst  from  the 
covert  side  full  of  joyous  excitement.  Drawing  a  bead  on  the 
wild  red  deer  after  hours  of  careful  stalking,  is  no  doubt  an 
anxious  and  exciting  second.  But  the  bold  rise  and  the  first 
wild  rush  of  a  twenty-pound  salmon  thrills  through  the  frame 
as  nothing  else  in  the  nature  of  sport  does  ;  and  I  have  never 
known  a  man  who  has  in  him  the  true  essence  of  a  sportsman, 
and  who  has  for  the  first  time  felt  and  seen  the  play  of  a  fresh 
run  salmon  in  his  native  river,  who  has  not  been  a  salmon- 
fisher  for  ever.  I  have  known  and  heard  of  scenes  and  instances 
where  other  sports  have  been  given  up  for  salmon-fishing,  but 
never  heard  I  of  one  (when  sport  was  on)  where  salmon-fishing 
was  given  up  for  any  other  :  and  many  a  sceptic  has  been 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  all  this  by  having  eighteen  feet  oi 
hickory  and  a  hundred  yards  of  line  put  into  his  hands,  with  a 
salmon  freshly  hooked  at  one  end  of  the  line. 

There  is  a  story  told  of  a  pawky  old  Scot  whose  wife  was 
very  ill,  but  who,  tempted  by  the  fine  ply  in  which  the  rivei 
was,  had  just  sHpped  away  and  stepped  down  to  "  tak  a  cast  o' 
her."    He  had  just  risen  and  hooked  a  splendid  fish  which  was 

226 


PLATE  XI. 


'The  Shot,"  Floors  Castle  Water,  River  Tweed. 


To  face  Page  227. 


Pitlochry  Head,  River  Tay. 


INCREASED  DEMAND  FOR  SALMON-FISHING    227 

showing  him  magnificent  sport,  when  one  came  running  to  him 
wringing  his  hands  and  crying,  "  Laird,  laird,  the  mistress  is 
deein — deein — deein  !  "  "Ah  mon  !  ye  dinna  say  sae  !  Rin 
awa'  bock  thin,  Donald,  and  tell  her  joost  to  hing  on  till  a've 
kiU't  the  fusshe."  The  words  were  hardly  out  of  his  mouth, 
when,  as  if  to  punish  him  for  his  inhumanity,  the  salmon  gave 
a  great  spring  and  broke  away.  "  Was  ever  the  likes  o'  that  ? — 
it's  joost  a  judgment !  "  was  the  exclamation,  as  handing  the 
rod  to  his  retainer,  he  hurried  off  to  his  wife's  bedside,  and 
duly  received  her  last  breath,  and  cheered  her  last  moments. 
Great  and  sincere  was  his  grief,  and  he  mourned  her  deeply. 
Old  friends  and  neighbours  came  to  console  him.  His  old 
crony,  Rab  M'AlUster,  mingled  his  sympathy  with  praises  of 
the  virtues  of  the  departed.  "  She  was  aye  a  gude  wife,  laird." 
The  laird  assented  with  a  sad  shake  of  the  head.  "  But  we're  a* 
dust,  laird."  "  We're  that ;  oh,  we're  that ;  dinna  doot  it," 
was  the  melancholy  response.  "  And  ye've  tint  her,  laird." 
At  this  the  laird  brightened  up.  "  It's  varra  true,  Rab  ;  but 
did  ye  hear  o'  the  big  fusshe  the  news  o't  tint  me  i'  the  morn  ? 
Hey,  mon,  that  was  a  fusshe  !  " 

Perhaps  of  all  the  branches  of  angUng  none  have  made  such 
strides  in  popularity  as  salmon-fishing.  Formerly  it  was 
confined  to  the  favoured  few — to  those  who  could  afford  to 
devote  a  fortnight  to  travel  into  Scotland  or  the  wilds  of 
Ireland,  and  the  same  time  to  come  back,  with  all  the  attendant 
expense  and  trouble.  But,  as  in  grouse-shooting,  all  this  is 
greatly  altered.  In  some  instances,  rivers  are  still  held  by  their 
aristocratic  proprietors.  In  many  more,  however,  Manchester 
and  Liverpool,  with  burly  John  Bright  at  their  head,  have 
invaded  the  once  sacred  soil,  bundled  out  the  whilom  occupiers, 
and  taken  possession,  and  our  oldest  and  best  rods  have  taken 
yacht  and  are  gone  to  Norway,  and  for  a  time  make  a  close 
borough  of  that  once  piscatorial  Goshen.  But  a  while  ago 
Norway  was  a  pleasant  spot  for  a  fisherman.  The  few  fisher- 
men to  be  met  with  there  were  (they  are  not  now)  fond  of 
telling  of  their  sport ;  but  they  were  gentlemen  and  sportsmen 
of  the  old  school  for  the  most  part,  on  whose  time  business  had 
no  claims.  The  natives  were  civil,  easily  satisfied,  and  fishing 
was  easy  to  come  at.  But  within  a  very  few  years  business  men 
came  in  to  compete  for  the  prizes.  Civis  Londinensis  sum  ;  and 
so  the  natives  become  grasping,  and  salmon-fishing  is,  save  at 
high  prices  and  long  leases,  not  to  be  had.  Seek  the  tourist  track 
anywhere  and  it  will  be  found  the  same.    Still,  to  a  great  exten  ^, 


228  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

the  old  rods  do  many  of  them  manage  as  yet  to  hold  their  own  in 
Norway,  and  they  always  must  do  so  to  some  extent,  for  you 
cannot  be  whirled  by  rail  to  the  Arctic  circle  in  twenty-four 
hours,  and  the  more  distant  rivers  consume  more  time  to  go  to 
and  to  come  from  than  the  great  bulk  of  salmon-fishers  of  the 
present  day  can  afford  to  give  to  the  journey.  Another 
unfortunate  feature,  however,  now  largely  prevails.  Salmon 
can,  by  the  aid  of  huge  stores  of  ice  which  are  easily  secured, 
be  sent  to  England  profitably,  and  large  quantities  are  thus 
sent  from  the  more  approachable  rivers,  and  netting  is  rapidly 
increasing  to  an  injurious  extent. 

There  are  fifty  salmon-fishers  now  for  one  of  twenty  years 
ago.  The  fisherman  who  had  killed  salmon  was  then  looked 
upon  as  a  tremendous  creature.  It  was  something  as  excep- 
tional as  shooting  a  gorilla,  was  this  killing  of  a  salmon  with  a 
fishing-rod.    Now  the  exception  is  all  the  other  way. 

But  I  ought  not  to  find  fault  with  the  increasing  popularity 
of  my  favourite  sport ;  and,  with  this  civil  growl  de  piscatoriis 
rebus,  I  proceed  to  explain  the  mysteries  of  the  art.  So  travel 
a  little  farther  with  me,  young  trout-fisher,  and  it  shall  not  be 
my  fault  if  you  do  not  know  all  that  I  know  about  it. 


THE  ROD* 

The  first  consideration  for  the  would-be  salmon-fisher  is  the 
rod.  This  should  be  proportioned  to  his  height  and  strength. 
Nothing  looks  so  absurd  as  a  little  ambitious  individual 
labouring  under  a  huge  threshing-machine  as  big  as  a  sloop's 
mast,  which  he  is  manifestly  unequal  to  the  wielding  of  easily  ; 
and  not  only  does  it  look  badly,  but  it  works  badly.  A  rod 
two  or  three  ounces  heavier  or  inches  longer  than  is  comfortable 
to  the  angler,  tells  dreadfully  between  the  shoulders  and  on  the 
loins  in  a  long  day's  fishing  ;  and  it  is  useless  to  suppose  that 
practice  will  make  it  come  much  easier  :  a  man  who  is  over- 
weighted is  overweighted,  and  all  the  practice  in  the  world 
will  only  serve  to  do  harm  instead  of  good,  to  strain  instead 
of  to  strengthen.    Even  a  rod  that  seems  at  the  first  grasp 

♦  Francis's  advice  about  rods  would  have  been  greatly  modified  had  he 
lived  to  see  the  great  improvement  that  has  taken  place  in  this  part  of  the 
angler's  equipment  during  the  last  thirty  years.  The  use  of  adhesive  tape  for 
binding  splices  has  restored  the  spliced  rod  to  the  position  it  held  before  the 
slip  ferrule  came  into  use  ;  while  for  those  that  prefer  (and  care  to  pay  for) 
a  split  cane  rod,  the  bayonet  fastening  obviates  all  the  inconvenience  of 
ferruled  joints. — Ed. 


A  FLYER  IN  LOCH  MORE  229 

light  and  short  will  become  heavy  enough,  and  long  enough 
too,  in  a  long  day's  work.  My  advice,  therefore,  to  the  young 
salmon-angler  is,  not  to  overweight  himself  in  his  choice  of  a 
rod  at  the  outset,  but  to  work  up  to  a  heavier  and  longer 
weapon,  which  practice  and  time  may  eventually  enable  him 
to  manage.  Something,  too,  depends  upon  the  kind  of  fishing 
he  is  going  to  undertake.  If  it  be  boat-fishing  upon  a  lake,  a 
fifteen-foot  rod  is  quite  long  enough,  so  that  there  be  plenty  of 
stuff  in  the  butt  and  the  lower  part  of  the  next  joint,  for  lake 
fish  often  run  and  pull  tremendously. 

The  most  sporting  fish  I  ever  hooked  in  the  whole  course  of 
my  Hfe  was  a  fish  of  twelve  pounds,  which  I  hooked  from  the 
shore  on  Loch  More  at  Thurso.  I  never  saw  such  a  fish  ;  he 
was  a  regular  flyer,  and  was  more  out  of  the  water  than  in. 
Plunging  and  leaping  from  the  water,  as  dolphins  are  always 
depicted  as  doing,  particularly  on  signboards,  he  took  out 
clear,  without  stopping  for  a  second,  over  one  hundred  yards 
of  line  ;  and,  had  I  not  chanced  to  have  one  hundred  and 
twenty  on  my  reel,  he  would  certainly  have  broken  me.  The 
late  Sir  F.  Sykes,  a  first-rate  rod,  was  rim  out  and  broken, 
with  one  hundred  yards,  on  the  same  spot  but  a  few  days 
before.  At  about  one  hundred  and  ten  yards  I  got  on  terms 
with  him  ;  and,  to  see  this  twelve-poimd  fish  leaping  out  of 
the  water,  at  such  a  distance  from  me  that  he  did  not  look 
larger  than  a  good-sized  trout,  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  that 
there  was  any  connecting  Hnk  between  us.  I  had  no  boat, 
and  wading  was  out  of  the  question.  Another  ten  yards  and 
he  would  have  bid  me  good-bye.  But  the  tackle  was  new  and 
sound,  the  rod  well  set  up  in  the  lower  joints,  and  for  the  last 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  I  let  him  have  it  heavily ;  and  this, 
with  the  weight  of  the  line,  stopped  him.  So  that,  in  lake- 
fishing,  if  your  rod  be  short  it  must  not  be  weak. 

In  boat-fishing  on  a  river  also  a  long  rod  is  not  desirable. 
Where  a  long  rod  is  of  advantage  is  upon  a  good-sized  sporting 
river,  fishable  from  the  shore,  where  you  have  broken  ground 
and  water,  and  where  you  must  often  run  with  your  fish  ; 
where,  perhaps,  wading  is  frequently  indispensable ;  and 
where  an  extra  foot  of  rod  will  at  times  enable  you  to  carry 
your  line  over  some  big  stone,  rock,  or  bush,  which  would, 
perhaps,  cause  you  inevitable  grief  with  a  shorter  rod  ;  and 
where  long  casting  is  required,  or  where  there  are  high  or  awk- 
ward banks  behind  you,  with  rugged  stones  and  roots  to 
smash  your  hook  on.    Under  such  circumstances  the  angler 


^^M^U  |>^l^|l|ir  V^llfK^C 


:f  short 

-  half  to 

for  a 

nd  a 

-^--enor 

I  have 


iIt  r?d  some 

le:-  rjch  rods 

i^-antages. 

:  the  rod ; 

a  saner  of  taste 

■■K  a  very  stifi 

lis  choice 

ie  fishes. 

rerhaps, 

WK§  -ither 

a  In:  ther 

:  iiands  at 

wp  ix  any  lost 

Be  productions 

^  of  LoDdoQ  makers 

X  ite  vadananship 

I  kovc  ooe  by  me 

ad  k  Itese  ten  years, 

gU  ifc  is  ^«y  fittle 

'iriA  anglers 

lod.  If  die  angler 

s  ^ces, 

»  BO  cxxiqnmon- 

for  not  only 

Jse  v«ikiiess  which 

and  wood; 

ie  top  joint  oat  of 

:^  fs&BBL  one  to  two 

tlie  same  weight. 

fe>  t»  and  mitie  your 

lEii»e;  tesiiing  string 

etci.  m»  nuisance  is 

•i  rod— with  which. 


RODS  FIFV  YEARS  AGO 


i^»^--^sr-si- 


T 
:.  Bamboo  i 

The  rcKl  "ow  in  f.vo;«  - "   ;^ 

Scotch  rivers  u  »,Jr^.";  _„  -_, 

^d  a  splice  <?',l^J^'/jrS?ti.«0P  «• 

because  i  goo 

in  order  that 

may  be  promptly 

is  controlled  by  "^ 

and  well,  and 

And,  certa.i.ly 

what  unpleasant  toMDOK 
With  n 

I  have  two 
and  the 

a  iour-i  

of  whirl        i>ui  -  »v.  **^  ^TZJ!  -       -^  * **^  ^^ 

regard  a^  .  grike-nxi  tft  C^ V    l7t^  - 

smaU  river  it  is  ampiv  lam  "nie  QtM^  «?«•,?  ~^t>  4. 
and  Chevalier  ;  it  1  "^tSZTi     i^d  dMi 

a  very  powerful  r..'.  g^JS^,^    »*•  ?"^ 


good  de.1  of  ^»  gj^  «J»J^  tf.  •iW 

a  st3r^  tbi.  ^tsrirtiSiSi 

.Icoiant  to  h«BdW  •«!«.  i  ■-»  iW  Itel 

cspect  to  the  waAol  "M^"^*  -firf  Wk 

wd*t  of  «ch  •••ofcw-   »  rT!^^  mM« 


rods  are  hickory.  -r—.—      .,.^  ^ 

this  wood  and  grcenbean,  MD|€tt  »•  ^•■^»  «  ■—  ••^ 

weighed  at  Fariow's : — 

No.  i,i»leet.grecnh<-:»."  •'  ^-d         - ^  ik^lti^ 

No.  2,  igfect.hickop.  •  be r«t  gf •^•hf«rt 

f crrulcd  ^»     ,  ;  •  ^  ^ •*• 

No.  3,  i9{txt,hickor\  .  *;fMkMfft  Mffwi  S*- 

No.4,2ofect.allKrcc&bftiiAfidfviload     .        .  I^tjia. 

So  that  a  >phced  rod  .  'tie 

two  feet        '*"'     whii^  *  i.koiy  bott 
one-fifth  .  xth  in  lhe.*ei^t . 

And  now  ior  the  reel  an  1^    The  wmdk  fkatkt  kt  ttit 


*  Since  wnting  thia,  I  ynmomti  ttt  ■iflv  m^t^tm  ••  •  AhS^m  m^ 
Md  be  told  me  tbftt  thty  M  iMMi ftelnA  «i«i ^  i^  mI  IMI 
•light  rtactioD  ia  krow  of  Ivni  M  km  tt*  mb*  «-F.  f 


232  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

common  click  or  check  winch.  I  Hke  one  to  be  capable  of 
holding  120  or  130  yards  of  line.  Some  people  think  a  little 
more  than  half  that  quantity  sufficient.  Twice  or  three  times 
in  my  life  I  should  certainly  have  been  broken  if  I  had  not  had 
more  than  one  hundred  yards,  and  on  each  occasion  I  have  been 
lucky  enough  to  slay  my  fish.  I  grant  it  does  not  happen  once 
in  a  hundred  times  in  ordinary  salmon-fishing  that  one  parts 
with  more  than,  or  even  as  much  as  one  hundred  yards,  but 
the  weight  of  a  score  or  two  of  extra  yards  of  line  is  so  insig- 
nificant a  matter,  and  the  confidence  and  satisfaction  there  is 
when  playing  a  large  fish,  in  knowing  that  you  have  ample 
for  all  hazards,  incline  me  to  hold  to  my  opinion  ;  besides,  a 
line  of  that  length  can  easily  be  turned  end  for  end  when  at  all 
worn,  and  will  serve  as  two  good  lines,  which  is  a  matter  of 
economy,  whereas  in  a  sixty  or  seventy  yards  line  turned  thus 
you  would  soon  get  into  the  weak  part  in  a  good  run  that  you 
would  always  be  in  danger,  because  the  pull  would  come  just 
at  the  distance  where  a  fish  is  at  his  strongest — at  the  end  of 
a  forty  or  fifty  yards  run.* 

Formerly  salmon  lines  were  twisted  and  made  of  horse-hair 
alone,  or  of  horse-hair  and  silk ;  but  eight-plait  dressed  silk 
lines  having  been  introduced,  the  others  are  now  not  often 
used,  as  the  eight-plait  silk  line  which  has  been  carefully  and 
well  dressed  runs  through  the  rings  so  much  more  smoothly, 
is  less  liable  to  kink  or  catch,  and  does  not  hold  so  much  water, 
besides  throwing  better  against  the  wind.  Tapered  lines,  or 
lines  which  are  gradually  reduced  to  a  smaller  size  towards  the 
end,  are  usually  much  preferred.  Their  cost  is  greater,  but 
they  have  this  advantage  :  they  cast  more  evenly,  and  do 
not  sink  so  deeply  in  the  water  towards  the  point,  and  are 
therefore  fetched  off  it  more  easily,  and,  as  already  stated,  as 
the  length  of  the  cast  is  governed  by  the  quantity  which  can 
be  easily  and  quickly  withdrawn  from  the  surface,  it  will 
at  once  be  seen  that  there  is  a  considerable  advantage  in  a 
well-tapered  line.  It  must  be  remembered  that  heavy  rods 
and  heavy  waters  require  heavy  lines  ;  but  unless  the  angler 
wishes  to  strain  his  top  joint,  and  open  the  spUces,  he  should 
never  use  a  heavy  line  to  a  hght  rod.  It  is  inconceivable  what 
an  amount  of  mischief  in  wear  and  tear,  and  what  a  lot  of  bad 

*  Here  again  present-day  anglers  enjoy  a  convenience  unknown  to  Francis. 
Of  a  reel  line  1 50  yards  in  length,  not  more  than  40  or  50  yards  need  be  of 
the  weight  necessary  for  casting,  the  rest  consisting  of  tarpon  "  backing," 
which,  being  very  fine  and  as  strong  as  an  eight-plait  dressed  silk  line,  enables 
one  to  use  a  much  smaller  and  lighter  reel. — Ed. 


THE  CASTING  LINE  233 

casting,  and  what  a  bad  style  of  casting  is  fostered  by  want  of 
attention  to  this  point.  Rod  and  Une  should  match  each 
other,  and  a  line  either  too  light  or  too  heavy  is  a  nuisance 
and  an  evil. 

The  casting-line  or  gut  bottom  is  the  next  point  of  considera- 
tion. For  my  own  part,  I  always  Hke  about  three  lengths  of 
treble  twisted  gut,  and  two  of  good  double  gut,  and  then  the 
single  gut — in  all  close  upon  four  yards.  Let  it  be  good  sound, 
round,  rehable  gut,  not  mere  makeshift  rubbish.*  The  gut 
should  be  stained  either  amber  or  green  for  peat  or  limestone 
waters.  Coffee  lees  give  the  first,  boiled  green  baize  or  walnut 
shucks  steeped,  the  second.  No  other  colour  is  admissible. 
Some,  as  I  have  already  said,  use  ink  ;  this  might  do  if  one 
rented  pools  on  the  Styx,  but  elsewhere  it  is  a  bad  and  un- 
natural dye,  and  shows  plainly  in  any  water.  Better  no  dye 
at  all  than  this,  for  though  a  pool  may  look  dark  and  black  to 
the  eye  it  is  usually  only  the  result  of  the  rocky  bed,  the  depth, 
or  overshadowing  rocks  ;  it  does  not  look  so  to  the  fish  from 
below.  Whether  the  angler  uses  one,  or  two,  or  even  three 
flies  on  his  cast,  must  be  decided  by  the  water  he  is  going  to 
fish.  In  some  waters  more  than  one  fly  is  dangerous,  in  others 
it  answers  well  enough.  In  lake-fishing,  for  example,  two 
and  even  three  flies  may  often  be  used  with  advantage  ;  and 
on  the  Tay  and  such  broad  heavy  waters  also,  three  flies  are 
used  habitually.  The  salmon  fly  should  always  be  tied  upon  a 
hook  with  a  loop  eye  at  the  head.  Whether  this  loop  be  formed 
as  part  of  the  hook  itself,  or  be  lashed  on,  matters  not  here. 
Supposing  it  to  exist,  pick  out  a  nice  round,  lengthy  strand  of 
gut,  if  the  fly  be  used  as  a  single  fly  or  as  a  stretcher  ;  if  a 
dropper,  it  may  be  shorter,  say  of  four  or  five  inches  when 
attached.  Tie  a  sound  loop  in  the  upper  end  wherewith  to  loop 
it  to  the  casting-Hne,  then  put  the  other  point  through  the 
eye,  take  a  turn  of  the  gut  round  the  eye  until  the  point  is  on 

♦  Various  substitutes  for  ut  have  been  introduced  of  late  years,  and  per- 
sonally I  have  quite  abandoned  gut  in  spring  salmon-lishing,  using  only  the 
material  sold  as  "  Demos."  Its  strength  is  much  greater  than  that  of  the 
best  gut — it  costs  about  sixpence  a  yard  and  is  supplied  in  40  yard  lengths. 
But  it  requires  care  in  handUng.  A  figure-of-eight  knot  at  the  head  of  the 
fly  is  quite  safe  ;  but  if,  as  often  happens  in  windy  weather,  a  knot  forms 
accidentally  in  the  cast,  a  very  slight  jerk  will  snap  it.  That  is  the  only  draw- 
back I  know  to  Demos.  Its  merits  are  that  it  has  no  glitter,  the  casting  line 
is  in  one  piece,  it  is  of  extraordinary  strength  and  absurdly  cheap.  Fishing 
with  a  friend  in  the  Spey  one  March,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  casting 
line  through  the  reel  line  breaking.  It  was  a  new'  cast  for  which  he  gave 
fifteen  shillings.  A  similar  accident  to  myself  would  have  cost  me  just  one 
shilling  ! — Ed. 


I 


^34  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

the  same  side  as  the  gut  first  came  through  the  eye,  then  return 
it  through  the  eye  again,  and  you  have  it  looped  on  to  the  eye 
of  the  hook.  The  end,  however,  is  still  loose,  and  it  is  evident 
that  at  any  strain  it  would  slip  back  again  through  the  eye. 
Then  take  the  fly  in  your  left  hand,  take  hold  of  the  fag  end, 
and  make  a  complete  turn  round  the  gut,  and  put  the  end 
through  the  tie  or  opening  thus  formed — in  fact,  make  a 
regular  tie  knot,  and  draw  it  tight,  after  the  style  of  tying 
shown  in  Plate  III,  Fig.  i,  page  66.  Repeat  the  operation  so 
as  to  make  two  knots  lyings  side  by  side,  as  closely  as  possible. 
Pull  the  knots  home  as  tightly  as  you  can,  by  taking  the  fag 
end  between  your  teeth  or  pliers,  then  pull  the  gut  and  slide 
the  knots  down  to  the  eye,  cut  off  the  end,  and  your  fly  is 
ready  to  be  looped  on  to  the  cast. 

And  now  we  will  suppose  that  the  angler  is  suited  with  rod, 
line,  cast,  and  flies.  We  will  assume  that  he  knows  something 
of  fly-fishing,  has  at  least  used  a  single-handed  trout  rod. 
The  motions  gone  through  with  the  rod  point  are  precisely 
similar  with  a  single  and  a  double-handed  rod,  save  that  a 
somewhat  wider  sweep  is  made  with  the  latter.  The  left  hand 
holds  the  rod  below  the  reel,  and  the  right  grasps  it  at  a 
convenient  spot  above  ;  sufficient  Une  is  let  off  the  reel  for  the 
cast ;  the  point  of  the  rod  is  waved  backwards  over  the  right 
shoulder ;  the  right  hand  comes  almost  to  the  level  of  the 
shoulder  (in  long  casts  a  trifle  above  it) .  Give  the  line  time  to 
extend  itself  backwards,  making  a  sweep  round  with  the  point 
of  the  rod,  still  feeling  the  line  as  you  do  so  ;  direct  it  towards 
the  mark  as  in  trout-fishing.  You  can  either  make  the  curve 
(or  the  cast  rather)  towards  the  ear  or  away  from  the  ear.  The 
first  will  be  found  most  suitable  when  fishing  with  a  short  line, 
but  the  latter  is  indispensable  when  fishing  with  a  long  one, 
as  in  no  other  way  can  the  Une  be  got  off  the  water  so  quickly 
or  neatly.  This  is  the  right  shoulder  cast.  To  ease  the  muscles 
and  to  suit  a  particular  airt  of  wind,  or  the  direction  or  bank 
of  the  stream,  it  is  often  advantageous  to  cast  from  the  left 
shoulder  instead  of  the  right.  To  do  this  reverse  the  hands — 
the  right  below,  the  left  above  the  reel — and  bring  the  rod  to 
the  left  shoulder  instead  of  the  right.  The  other  motions  are 
the  same  as  in  the  right  shoulder  cast,  save  that  in  the  left 
hand  cast  it  will  be  found  easier  to  make  the  sweep  towards 
or  nearer  to  the  ear. 

The  length  of  your  cast  must  be  governed  by  your  ability, 
but  always,  when  actually  fishing,  cast  well  within  yourself — 


THE  ART  OF  CASTING  235 

that  is,  so  that  you  can  fish  the  cast  well  and  thoroughly,  and 
have  perfect  command  over  your  rod  top  and  line.  A  greater 
mistake  cannot  be  made  than  to  overcast  either  your  throw 
or  yourself.  Some  anglers  are  so  fond  of  making  long  casts 
just  to  show  off,  that  they  will  risk  cutting  a  fly  to  pieces  rather 
than  move  a  few  yards  ;  others  will  so  overcast  their  throw, 
that  by  the  time  the  fly  reaches  the  salmon's  home,  if  a  fish 
should  rise,  the  rod  is  too  upright  or  far  back  to  allow  them  to 
make  a  clean  firm  stroke — the  fish  is  only  half  hooked,  and  a 
bungle  is  pretty  sure  to  ensure.  Begin  with  about  twice  the 
length  of  the  rod,  not  more,  and  when  you  can  get  that  out  well, 
increase  the  length. 

It  is  impossible  on  paper  to  teach  the  tyro  how  to  cast  a 
salmon  fly.  Nothing  but  practice  will  do  it.  Even  actual 
showing  and  demonstration  are  not  of  much  use  until  he  can 
command  the  rod  to  some  extent.  Let  him  note  how  it  is  done, 
and  then  flail  away  to  the  best  of  his  ability  for  a  day  or  two 
until  he  can  pitch  the  hne  out  somehow.  Then  let  him  get 
some  adept  to  instruct  him  how  to  get  it  out  properly,  and  to 
correct  any  fault  in  his  manipulation.  After  that,  practice, 
practice,  practice,  and  watching  a  performer  now  and  then 
at  work  will  do  the  rest. 

Another  rule  of  great  importance  I  would  here  emphatically 
lay  down,  and  that  is,  never  use  more  strength  or  vigour  in 
making  a  cast  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  for  all  beyond  that 
is  not  only  downright  waste  of  power,  but  positively  defeats 
the  end  the  fisher  has  in  view.  Let  him  study,  not  how  much 
strength  he  can  put  into  the  cast,  but  how  little ;  not  how  much 
noise  he  can  make  by  "  swooshing  "  his  rod  through  the  air, 
but  whether  he  cannot  avoid  making  any  at  all.  And  if  any 
old  angler,  who  has  been  accustomed  to  adopt  the  former  plan, 
will  only  try  the  latter  a  few  times,  I  am  confident  that  the 
result  will  positively  amaze  him.  It  is  astonishing  how  hard  it 
is  at  times,  with  all  your  force,  to  send  a  fly  against  or  through 
the  wind  truly  and  fairly,  and  how  easy  it  really  is  to  do  with 
Uttle  or  no  force  at  all.  When  I  hear  an  angler's  rod  *'  swoosh- 
ing "  through  the  air  on  a  windy  day,  as  one  often  may  hear 
it  seventy  or  eighty  yards  away,  I  think  it  very  extraordinary 
that  he  should  never  by  accident  have  discovered  that  all  that 
force  and  noise  is  not  only  superfluous,  but  mischievous  ;  and 
how  that  without  it  he  would  cast  an  infinitely  better  line,  and 
not  strain  his  rod  as  he  is  doing.  In  very  long  throws,  of  course, 
a  good  deal  of  force  must  be  employed  ;  but  in  ordinary  ones, 


236  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

no  matter  what  the  weather  or  wind,  or  which  way  it  blows, 
it  is  absolutely  unnecessary.  I  have  often  surprised  myself 
by  seeing  how  beautifully  straight  the  fly  goes,  without 
doubling  or  bagging,  through  the  wind,  by  merely  letting  the 
top  do  the  work  it  was  intended  for.  The  angler  should  con- 
sider that  he  does  not  cast  with  the  butt  or  main  joints  of  his 
rod,  and  need  not  therefore  try  to  bring  them  into  play. 
The  part  of  the  rod  which  sends  the  fly  home  is  the  most 
pliable  part ;  why  not,  then,  let  that  do  its  duty,  instead  of 
trying  to  make  the  less  pHable  parts  take  its  place,  which  they 
cannot  and  do  not  do  ? 

And  now  as  to  long  casting.  Thirty  yards  from  the  reel  to 
the  fly  is  good  casting,  and  every  yard  beyond  that  very  good 
casting;  and  whenever  you  hear  a  person  bragging  of  long 
casting,  ask  him  whether  he  measured  the  cast,  and  how  he 
measured  it,  as  fishermen  do  not  always  carry  a  yard  measure, 
and  are  apt  to  measure  too  much  by  computation  and  too 
kindly  to  themselves.  The  longest  cast  I  ever  measured  was 
within  a  foot  of  thirty-eight  and  a  half  yards  from  the  reel, 
and  that  was  cast  by  the  late  Sir  F.  Sykes,  who  was  a  tall  and 
powerful  man,  and  who  was  fishing  with  a  twenty-foot  rod, 
which  I  could  hardly  manage.  I  may  have  seen  longer  casts, 
and  I  think  I  have,  but  I  did  not  have  the  opportunity  of 
measuring  them.  The  most  I  could  ever  manage  was  thirty- 
four  and  a  half  yards  from  the  reel,  and  this  I  did  on  one 
or  two  occasions  with  two  different  rods,  one  eighteen  and  the 
other  nineteen  feet  long — the  former  a  ferruled,  and  the  latter 
a  spliced  rod  ;  but  it  was  from  a  boat,  and  consequently  there 
was  no  hazard  of  smashing  the  fly  if  it  touched  behind.  Pat 
Heams,  of  Ballina,  has,  I  beheve,  cast  forty-two  yards.  I  do 
not  know  whether  it  was  measured  from  the  point  or  the  reel ; 
but  as  it  was  for  a  wager,  and  many  gentlemen  were  looking  on, 
the  fact  is  indisputable. 

There  is  a  very  good  dodge  which  is  practised  when  a  very 
long  cast  is  required  to  be  fished.  Having  as  much  line  as  you 
can  cast  out,  draw  a  yard  or  two  off  the  reel  and  let  it  hang 
down  between  the  hand  and  reel  as  in  spinning ;  when  you  have 
made  the  forward  impulse,  and  the  fly  is  rushing  towards  the 
point  sought  to  be  reached,  open  the  hand  that  clasps  the  rod 
and  line,  and  the  impetus  and  weight  of  the  line  will  take  with 
it  some  of  the  loose  line,  and  when  it  touches  the  water  the 
hang  or  drag  of  the  stream  will  carry  out  the  rest.  Before 
fetching  the  line  off  the  water  for  a  new  cast,  the  part  so 


THE  SPEY  CAST  237 

let   out  must  be  drawn  in  and  allowed  to  hang  loose  as 
before. 

In  making  a  long  cast  the  difficulty  is  to  take  all  the  time 
possible  to  allow  the  line  to  straighten  behind  without  allowing 
the  fly  to  touch  the  ground.  For  long  throwing,  the  best  wind  is 
no  wind  ;  because,  although  it  may  be  supposed  that  a  wind 
at  your  iDack  may  help  the  fly  forwards,  it  does  not  help  it 
backwards,  and  the  quantity  you  can  send  forward  is,  as  I  have 
said,  determined  by  the  quantity  you  can  extend  fairly  back- 
wards. But  for  ordinary  fishing  the  performer  who  can  fish  some 
six  or  seven-and-twenty  yards,  and  fish  it  well  (for  there  is  all 
the  difference  in  the  world  between  casting  and  fishing),  is  a 
very  excellent  performer. 

I  have  mentioned  switching*  in  trout -fishing,  but  it  is 
chiefly  used  in  salmon-fishing.  It  is  a  species  of  cast  that  is 
made  when  there  are  high  banks  or  rocks  at  the  angler's  back, 
so  that  he  cannot  send  his  line  behind  him.  And  it  is  one  that 
requires  some  practice  to  make  from  the  right  shoulder,  and  a 
good  deal  more  to  accomplish  neatly  from  the  left.  In  switch- 
ing, if  the  angler  can  contrive  to  wade  in  a  yard  or  two,  he 
will  be  able  to  switch  with  far  less  danger  to  his  fly,  and  more 
ease  to  himself,  than  when  standing  on  the  shore,  as  the  object 
is  to  deposit  the  fly  on  the  water  previous  to  casting.  If  the 
fisher  fetches  his  fly  home  only  a  yard  farther  than  it  ought  to 
come,  he  either  smashes  it  or  hooks  some  obstruction. 

Having  got  a  certain  length  of  line  out,  somehow  or  anyhow, 
and  being  desirous  of  making  a  new  cast,  he  raises  his  hands 
well  up  and  carries  the  rod  up  to  his  shoulder  pretty  smartly  ; 
but  he  does  not  send  the  fly  back  over  the  shoulder,  but  rather 
fetches  it  in  towards  his  feet,  and  he  must  take  care  that  in 
doing  so  it  does  not  come  too  high  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  or  it  will  not  catch  the  water  again  at  the  right  spot. 
About  two  or  three  yards  above  him  to  his  right  hand,  and  a 
little  in  front  of  him,  the  fly  must  touch  the  water,  but  must 
go  no  further.  This  action  brings  the  line  into  the  form  of  a 
great  bow  or  arc,  to  which  the  rod  is  the  chord.  The  instant 
the  fly  touches  the  water  (and  the  angler  must  keep  his  eye 
upon  it,  for  if  he  misses  it  and  touches  the  bank  at  all  he  must 
not  make  his  cast),  a  sharp  downward  turn  and  cut  is  made, 
not  towards  the  spot  you  wish  the  line  to  go  to,  but  to  estabUsh 

♦  This  cast  is  called  by  various  names  ;  sometimes  "  the  Welsh  or  Spey 
cast,"  or  according  to  the  name  of  some  other  river  where  it  is  practised. 

F.  F, 


238  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

a  sort  of  centrifugal  action  (somewhat  after  the  fashion  that  a 
juggler  spins  a  hat  or  plate  with  a  stick),  and  the  hne  f^ies 
towards  the  point  required ;  in  fact,  the  cast  is  the  result  of 
the  laws  of  centrifugal  force,  the  line  forms  the  tangent  to  an 
arc  of  a  circle  described  sharply  with  the  rod  point,  and  the 
angle  at  which  the  tangent  flies  off  is  controlled  by  the  practice 
and  experience  of  the  angler.  It  is  not  an  easy  cast  to  make, 
and  requires  a  good  deal  of  practice.  It  is  hardly  possible  to 
describe  it,  and  must  be  seen  and  studied  to  be  understood 
clearly.  Fig.  15,  Plate  XXI,  page  326,  will  show  the  position 
of  the  Hne  and  the  attitude  of  the  fisherman  at  the  most 
critical  moment  of  the  cast. 

It  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any  rule  as  to  how  a  salmon 
cast  should  be  fished,  further  than  that  it  should  be  fished 
in  the  way  which  suits  it  best,  and  this  the  old  salmon-fisher 
will  know  from  long  experience,  and  the  young  one  from  his 
attendant,  who  knows  the  cast  and  its  pecuharities  well,  and 
without  whom  the  tyro  will  be  very  foolish  to  try  his  luck. 
Some  people  who  know  very  little  of  salmon-fishing  lay  down 
diagrams  of  instructions,  etc.,  which  are  so  much  waste  paper. 
The  only  point  to  be  observed  in  salmon-fishing  is,  that  whereas 
in  trout  fishing  you  often  fish  up-stream,  in  salmon-fishing  you 
more  often  fish  down.  True,  you  may  occasionally,  with  an 
obstinate  salmon  that  won't  be  persuaded,  try  a  cast  up-stream 
and  drag  down,  and  may  even  once  in  a  way  get  him  up  to  it, 
but  as  a  rule  you  fish  down  and  work  up-stream.  Even  when 
casting  across  you  work  as  much  against  the  stream  as  you  can. 
Of  course  this  does  not  apply  to  dead  water  or  large  eddies, 
where  the  fish  lie  anyhow.  Some  anglers,  and  some  writers, 
lay  great  stress  upon  working  your  fly,  and  how  you  are  to 
humour  it  into  the  stream,  and  make  it  work  so  that  all  the 
fibres  like  pinions  open  and  shut  like  a  living  thing,  etc.  ;  but 
it  is  all  chips  and  porridge.  I  know  two  first-rate  professional 
fishermen  who  live  but  a  few  miles  apart  on  the  same  river. 
One  always  works  his  fly,  the  other  swears  by  a  steady  draw 
and  an  even  keel,  and  yet  one  is  as  good  as  t'other,  and  they 
both  kill  their  fair  share  of  salmon.  Hear  what  Mr.  Colquhon, 
a  very  old  sportsman  and  no  mean  fly-fisher,  says.*  When 
he  has  tried  a  pool  in  vain,  he  makes  his  cast  and  merely 
winds  the  line  home  ;  this  he  calls  winding  over,  and  it  often 
rises  a  fish  when  other  means  have  failed.  Of  course  when  a 
salmon  is  shy  you  try  all  sorts  of  ways  to  make  him  come  up  : 

*  In  The  Moor  and  the  Loch. 


FISHINGJJA  CAST  239 

first  a  gentle  undulation  of  the  rod  point ;  then  an  even  draw  ; 
then  a  regular  frantic  witches'  dance,  bobbing,  and  jerking, 
and  working  as  though  your  fly  were  possessed  of  St.  Vitus  or 
a  tarantula  bite  ;  then  you  sink  the  fly,  and  perhaps  none  of 
them  avail,  and  then  what  is  to  be  said  of  it  ?  Perhaps  he 
does  come  up  to  one  or  the  other.  If  so,  that  is  the  kilUng  style 
for  the  time ;  for  salmon,  like  maidens,  are  sometimes  capri- 
cious. Sometimes  they  like  a  quiet  partner  in  a  corner  all  to 
themselves,  and  sometimes  nothing  but  a  regular  frantic 
deux  temps  will  suit  them.  Depend  upon  it,  brother  angler, 
that  there  is  no  dogmatic  rule  to  be  laid  down  either  for 
maidens  or  fish.  Take  the  word  of  one  who  hath  had  ex- 
perience of  both.  You  can't  diagram  them  ;  you  must  study 
their  humours  as  well  as  you  can,  and  suit  your  arts  to  your 
customer  as  near  as  may  be.  If  that  fails,  try  perseverance. 
VersatiUty  is  good,  but  perseverance  will  often  carry  the  day 
against  all  comers.  How  often  have  I  seen  a  salmon  regularly 
buUied  into  rising  by  an  obstinate  customer  who  wouldn't 
take  no  for  an  answer,  but  who  kept  flogging  on  till  the  favour- 
able moment  arrived,  when — "  Ah  !  there  he  is  at  last :  and 
hooked  too,  by  jingo  !  "  just  as  often  as  I  have  seen  a  girl  take 
at  last  a  suitor  to  whom  she  has  said  "  No  "  half  a  score  of 
times — ay,  and  meant  it  too  at  the  time,  you  know,  only  she 
happened  at  last  to  change  her  mind,  and  he  happened  to  be 
present  when  she  changed  it.  So  "  c'est  I'amour,  I'amour, 
I'amour."  Is  it  ?  It  may  be  very  often  ;  but  then  again  very 
often  it  is  something  else.  So,  having  said  so  much,  I  will  for 
the  benefit  of  the  embryo  salmon-fisher  give  the  generally 
accepted  plan.  It  is  a  tolerably  safe  one  ;  and  as  he  grows 
experienced,  he  can  vary  it  to  suit  his  own  views. 

Having  cast  your  fly — say  across  and  a  httle  downwards, 
let  it  sweep  round  into  the  stream.  You  needn't  "  humour  it," 
as  poor  dear  "  Ephemera  "  used  to  call  it ;  it  will  find  its  place 
without  it,  and  will  not  require  any  humouring  on  your  part 
beyond  free  permission  to  do  as  it  likes  ;  and  be  sure  and  keep 
an  eye  upon  it  just  as  it  sweeps  round  into  the  stream,  for 
that  is  a  very  fatal  moment,  and  it  is  odds,  if  there's  "  a 
fusshe  aboot,"  if  you  don't  at  that  last  fatal  curve  see  a  boil, 
ay,  and  feel  a  pluck  too,  if  you  are  not  in  too  great  haste, 
which  will  send  your  blood  spinning  with  excitement.  And 
when  you  do  see  the  boil  and  feel  the  pluck,  what  then  ? 
Now,  don't  be  in  a  hurry  ;  that  is  what  you  should  never  be 
in  striking  a  salmon — pause,  and  I  will  tell  you  why  presently. 


240  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

Meanwhile,  when  your  fly  is  sweeping  round,  lower  the  point 
of  the  rod  gradually,  giving  Hne  to  the  fly  to  cover  as  much 
ground  as  possible  ;  and  when  it  enters  on  the  straight  run 
home,  or  when  the  fly  is  in  the  stream,  and  the  line  tight  and 
straight,  raise  and  fall  the  point  of  the  rod  sHghtly  as  you 
work  the  fly  up-stream,  raising  and  drawing  at  the  same  time, 
until  you  have  the  fly  far  enough  up-stream.  Never  work  it 
too  far  so  as  to  lose  full  and  strong  command  over  it ;  if  you 
do,  it  may  hap  that  a  salmon  will  rise  when  you  have  very 
little  power  or  room  left  to  strike  him. 


ON  STRIKING 

Well,  "  when  you  see  the  boil  and  feel  the  pluck,"  what 
then|?  Why,  when  you  do  so,  you  are  all  right,  and  may 
raise  your  rod  smartly,  with  a  fair  tug,  over  your  shoulder. 
If  you  see  the  boil  only,  and  don't  feel  him,  don't  be  too  hasty  ; 
he  may  be  only  making  an  offer — coming  up  to  inspect — 
and  if  (as  most  young  and  nervous  salmon-fishers  out  of 
practice  do)  you  strike  and  pull  the  fly  away  from  him,  he 
goes  down  disgusted  with  the  rudeness  of  the  gentleman  who 
has  asked  him  to  dinner  and  then  snatched  his  dinner  out  of 
his  mouth  ;|  and  you  might  almost  as  well  have  assaulted  him 
with  a  fork,  or,  in  other  words,  have  pricked  him.  Ten  times 
more  fish  are  lost  from  striking  too  quickly  than  by  striking 
too  slowly.  It  is  hard  to  wait  when  you  see  a  fish  coming : 
still,  you  must  wait,  or  lose  your  fish.  Some  people  say 
that  when  you  see  the  boil  of  a  salmon,  if  he  means  to  have  it, 
he  has  already  got  it.  But  this  is  a  fanciful  theory.  He 
comes  up  to  see  what  it  is  that  has  attracted  his  attention. 
If  he  is  not  very  eager,  he  first  looks  and  then  decides,  and  you 
see  the  boil  whether  or^no.  Sometimes  the  decision  is  adverse, 
and  he  does  not  take ;;  sometimes,  pleased  with  the  nearer 
inspection,  he  does.  Either  way,  eight  times  out  of  ten  there 
is  either  the  least  pause  in  the  world  or  a  very  long  one,  and 
nothing  is  gained  by  pulling  away  the  fly.  Sometimes,  when 
very  sharp  set  indeed,  he  makes  no  bones  of  it,  but  comes 
straight  at  it  like  a  lion.  That  is  when  you  see  the  boil,  and  feel 
the  pluck  at  the  same  instant.  There  is  not  much  consideration 
required  with  such  fish  ;  you  can  hardly  miss  them. 

But  some  salmon-fishers  say  you  "  should  not  strike." 
Yes,  I  know  that ;  but  what  they  mean  by  striking  is,  you 
shouldn't  hit  a  salmon  as  if  the  roof  of  his  mouth  were  a 


DANGERS  IN  THE  CHANNEL  241 

paving  stone,  or  you  were  punching  a  whole  flight  of  spinning 
tackle  into  a  bony  old  pike,  with  a  mouth  like  a  quartz-crush- 
ing machine.  But  we  will  effect  a  compromise,  and  there- 
fore you  should  do  what  they  say  and  I  have  described,  and 
which  they  call  "  letting  him  hook  himself,'*  but  I  call  "  strik- 
ing." To  hit  a  salmon  violently  as  you  would  a  pike,  is  in 
some  respects  certainly  not  advisable,  as  you  may  force  him 
into  his  most  violent  and  dangerous  action  when  he  is  best 
prepared  for  it,  and  when  possibly  the  ground  is  not  the  most 
suitable ;  whereas,  by  a  gentler  mode,  not  calculated  to 
alarm  quite  so  forcibly,  the  sharp  edge  of  the  steel  may  often 
be  taken  out  of  him,  and  you  may  negotiate  your  exchanges 
upon  terms  of  more  equality,  in  case  the  hooking  place  is 
broken  water,  dangerous  with  sunken  rocks  or  other  obstruc- 
tions, as  it  sometimes  is. 

One  of  the  most  important  points  for  the  angler  to  master 
is  a  knowledge  of  the  hidden  dangers,  the  under-water  rocks, 
etc.,  with  which  he  will  have  to  contend.  A  person  who 
possesses  this  knowledge  has,  of  course,  a  great  advantage 
in  playing  his  fish  over  another  who  has  it  not.  Usually  you 
depend  on  your  attendant  to  tell  you,  and  warn  you  of  all 
such  dangers.  I  recollect  an  absurd  but  vexatious  incident 
happening  to  a  friend  once  on  the  river  Wye,  near  Builth.  for 
the  lack  of  such  knowledge.  The  river  was  very  low,  and  ran 
within  a  narrow  but  very  abrupt  rocky  channel,  a  mere  broad 
groove,  as  it  were,  in  the  centre  of  its  natural  bed.  At  the 
tail  of  some  white  water,  my  friend  hooked  a  good  fish,  which 
immediately  dashed  up  into  the  white  water,  and  came  down 
again  close  alongside  of  the  near  side  wall  of  the  channel, 
which  was  very  abrupt  there.  Presently  my  friend  observed 
the  salmon,  which  was  still  pulling  hard,  struggHiig  just  under 
his  feet,  whereas  the  line  was  pointing,  if  anything,  rather 
up-stream  ;  before  he  could  do  anything  his  line  was  cut, 
and  the  fish  away  with  his  cast  and  some  six  or  eight  yards  of 
line.  On  going  to  the  spot  towards  which  the  line  had  pointed, 
he  found  a  large  stone  under  water,  reclining  against  the  near 
wall  of  the  channel,  but  leaving  a  nice  little  triangular  hole 
below,  of  which  the  stone  formed  the  hypotenuse  ;  through 
this  the  salmon  had  popped  on  his  down-course,  threading 
the  eye  of  the  needle  with  my  friend's  line  in  the  most  dexterous 
manner.  Of  course  a  little  knowledge  here  would  have  saved 
everything  and  captured  the  fish. 


k 


242  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

ON  PLAYING  A  SALMON 

Having  hooked  your  fish,  the  next  point  to  consider  is  the 
playing  of  him,  and  in  this  important  point,  during  the  first 
half  of  the  battle,  the  angler  will  be  guided  very  much  by  the 
fish  ;  in  the  latter  half  the  positions  will  probably  be  reversed. 
What  can  the  angler  do  when  he  hooks  a  heavy  determined 
fish  ?  All  that  he  can  do  is  just  to  let  him  take  his  own  way, 
merely  persuading  him  strongly  against  the  folly  of  his  conduct 
when  he  evinces  a  disposition  to  run  into  needless  danger, 
endeavouring  to  keep  the  hook  in  him,  diplomatically  if 
possible,  until  he  is  amenable  to  reason.  To  be  sure,  in  taking 
him  down-stream,  if  an  awkward  rock  lies  far  out,  and  rather 
in  the  way,  by  the  above  gentle  persuasion  he  may  point 
his  head  so  as  to  drive  clear  of  it.  If  he  goes  on  the  far  side, 
and  the  rod  is  not  long  enough  to  lift  the  line  over  it,  the 
connection  between  the  fish  and  the  angler  will  probably 
cease.  In  taking  a  fish,  or  rather  being  taken  by  a  fish  down- 
stream— which  is  always  the  best  course  that  can  be  taken — 
the  angler  should  keep  up  with  the  fish  if  possible.  Indeed  a 
salmon  should  never  be  allowed  to  have  a  yard  more  of  line 
out  than  is  positively  necessary.  The  fisherman  should  never 
spare  his  legs  at  the  expense  of  his  line.  If  he  does,  the  fish 
may,  and  often  does,  suddenly  turn  and  dart  in  the  opposite 
direction,  drowning  the  Une,  which  it  is  impossible  that  the 
angler  can  get  in  as  quickly  as  the  fish  swims,  and  thus  all 
power  over  the  fish  is  for  a  time  lost,  and  the  bagged  fine  is 
liable  to  take  hold  of  any  sunken  obstruction  that  may  occur, 
and,  as  in  "  all  such  cases,"  obstructions  appear  to  be  specially 
"  made  and  provided,"  a  drowned  line  is  too  often  a  lost  fish. 

If  a  fish  shows  a  determination  to  go  to  a  fall,  or  rapid,  or 
other  undesirable  spot  where  you  cannot  follow  nor  stop  him, 
you  must  butt  him.  Some  writers  describe  this  by  recommend- 
ing you  to  throw  the  end  of  the  butt  well  forward,  presenting 
it  to  the  fish  as  it  were,  and  putting  the  rod  well  to  or  over 
your  shoulder.  But  this  is  not  butting  the  fish  ;  it  is  middle- 
jointing  him,  and  if  you  want  to  strain  your  middle  joint 
beyond  redemption  the  very  best  way  to  do  it  is  to  follow  this 
plan.  If  it  becomes  necessary  to  butt  a  fish,  the  less  circular 
the  position  taken  by  the  rod  the  more  the  strain  falls  on  the 
butt.  Only  try,  by  lifting  a  weight,  in  which  way  the  rod  will 
carry  most.  Let  the  angler  place  the  butt  of  the  rod  against  his 
stomach,  and  hold  the  rod  pointing  out  and  away  from  him. 


WHEN  A  SALMON  SULKS  243 

at  an  angle  of  45°  as  nearly  as  possible.  If  the  resistance 
becomes  very  strong,  he  may  raise  it  a  few  degrees,  but  it 
should  never,  unless  he  wishes  to  strain  the  middle  of  his 
rod,  reach  the  perpendicular,  far  less  go  beyond  it.* 

The  artifices  of  salmon  are  multifarious,  and  can  only  be 
combatted  according  to  circumstances.  "  Sulking "  is  a 
common  one,  particularly  with  heavy  fish,  and  a  fish  will 
often  take  up  his  position  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  pool  behind 
some  big  stone,  and  there  b:  will  remain  without  moving, 
quietly  resisting  every  effort  to  stir  him,  sometimes  for  a 
considerable  space.  A  fish  of  this  kind,  or  a  sluggish  fish, 
may  sometimes  be  induced  to  work  by  getting  behind  him, 
letting  out  a  longish  line,  so  as  to  get  a  straight  down-stream 
pull  at  his  head  on  him.  Here  let  the  angler  put  on  a  steady 
heavy  strain,  accompanying  it,  if  this  does  not  succeed,  with 
a  sawing  action.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  turn  the  head  of  the 
fish  a  little  broadside  to  the  stream,  when  the  force  of  the 
stream  and  the  line  will  cause  him  perhaps  to  make  an  effort 
to  keep  his  position,  and  the  effort  may  lead  him  to  forget  his 
sulky  tactics  and  aggravate  him  to  rush  forth  to  the  battle 
again.  If,  however,  this  has  no  effect,  a  few  stones  judiciously 
thrown  may  startle  him  out  of  his  propriety,  and  if  your 
gillie  can  manage  dexterously  to  hit  the  line  just  where  it  enters 
the  water  with  a  sharp,  heavy  flint,  he  will  certainly  spare  you 
all  further  trouble.  Sometimes  a  fish  takes  up  his  position 
at  the  side  of  a  river,  and  can  be  dislodged  by  the  aid  of  the 
gaff  handle  or  a  pole.  But  if  the  fish  still  remains  obstinate 
and  is  unapproachable,  the  aid  of  a  bit  of  lead  which  can 
be  bent  on  round  the  line  in  a  circle,  or  a  common  clearing 
ring,  such  as  is  used  sometimes  by  trout  or  bottom-fishers 
to  clear  a  hook  from  weeds,  is  recommended  by  some  fisher- 
men. Clasp  the  ring,  if  you  happen  to  have  one,  round  the 
line  ;  hold  the  line  as  upright  as  possible,  and  let  it  slide 
down  "  rap  "  on  to  the  salmon's  nose.  If  this  unexpected 
visitation  does  not  send  him  flying  here,  there,  and  every- 
where, it  certainly  ought  to,  and  two  or  three  jerks  up  and 
down  of  the  line  will  be  pretty  sure  to  effect  the  purpose, 
when  the  ring  can  at  once  be  drawn  well  up  the  line  out  of 
harm's  way  until  an  opportunity  occurs  to  unclasp  it.  A 
clearing  ring  and  hne  does  not  take  up  much  room,  and  is  so 
useful  in  a  variety  of  ways  to  almost  every  class  of  angler 

*  The  true  position  of  the  rod  in  "  giving  the  butt  "  is  shown  in  Plate 
XIII.— Ed, 


244  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

at  times,  that  I  often  think  it  worth  while  to  shp  one  into  my 
pocket.* 

I  always  like  to  see  a  salmon  show  himself,  and  the  often  er 
he  jumps  out  of  water  the  better  I  am  pleased.  In  the  first 
place,  the  play  of  a  fish  that  does  so  is  sure  to  be  the  more 
brilliant  and  exciting,  and  in  the  next,  every  leap  takes  so 
much  more  out  of  him  than  a  mei^e  dart  through  his  native 
element.  It  is  manifest  when  a  salmon  springs  from  the  water 
that,  if  you  keep  the  point  of  the  rod  up  and  maintain  a  tight 
line,  the  fish  in  falling  on  the  water  with  a  splash  will  manage 
to  dash  the  hook  out  of  his  mouth  ;  consequently  whenever 
a  salmon  leaps  you  must  keep  a  slack  Hne  by  lowering  the 
point  of  the  rod  to  the  water's  surface  and  giving  as  much 
line  as  you  can  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  by  extending  the 
point  as  much  towards  the  fish  as  possible.  The  instant  the 
fish  is  in  the  water  again,  however,  the  point  must  be  raised, 
and  a  tight  line  at  once  recovered. 

When  a  fish  "  jiggers  "  or  keeps  up  a  constant  "jag,  jag, 
jag,"  at  the  line,  it  is  a  very  unpleasant  and  trying  symptom, 
and  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  say  what  to  do.  Some  anglers 
think  it  advisable  to  hold  him  hardish,  and  to  chance  the 
hook  taking  a  fresh  hold  should  he  be  lightly  hooked  ;  others 
say  play  him  lightly,  as  it  is  a  sign  of  his  being  lightly  hooked. 
This  I  am  not  at  all  sure  of.  I  think  it  is  a  sign  that  the  salmon 
is  a  fish  of  experience,  and  is  trying  to  shake  the  hook  out  by 
twisting  and  shaking  his  head  about  and  turning  it  in  all 
directions  ;  and  as  this  is  trying  the  hold  of  the  hook  in  every 
possible  way,  it  is  not  very  surprising  if  such  a  proceeding 
frees  the  fish  more  often  than  any  other.  I  have  lost  many  a 
"  ]iggG™g  *'  fish,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  I  certainly  have 
caught  many  such  ;  but  I  know  of  no  feeling  so  unpleasant 
as  the  sharp  twitch  which  the  process  of  jiggering  communi- 
cates, with  a  thrill  of  apprehension  to  send  it  home,  right  up 
to  the  very  shoulder. 

I  have  heard  of  a  hard  running  fish,  when  danger  is  ahead, 
being  stopped  in  his  run  by  the  sudden  taking  off  of  the 
strain  on  him  ;  the  fisherman  casting  off  plenty  of  loose  line, 
and  the  fish  finding  that  he  is  no  longer  pulled  one  way, 
recognises  no  necessity  for  running  in  another,  and  so  stops.  I 
cannot  vouch  for  the  truth  of  this.    It  is  possible,  of  course, 

*  I  have  never  tried  this  plan,  and  merely  mention  it  upon  the  authority 
of  others.  Some  anglers,  however,  declare  against  it,  and  say  that  it  is 
rarely  feasible. — F.  F. 


VARIOUS  BAITS  FOR  SALMON  245 

but  it  sounds  like  a  risk  one  would  not  like  to  try,  and  I  only 
mention  it  for  what  it  is  worth. 

Salmon  are  often  caught  by  worm,  minnow,  prawn,  and 
artificial  bait.  The  worm  is  employed  by  means  of  a  large 
hook  capable  of  holding  two  or  three  lob  worms.  These 
should  be  threaded  on  the  hook  so  that  their  tails  may  hang 
down  from  the  hook,  and  form  a  good  big  bunch  or  mass  of 
worm-meat.  Three  or  four  heavy  swan  shot  or  a  sinker, 
equal  to  the  weight  of  the  stream,  should  be  used  ;  the  worm 
pitched  well  above  the  "  lie  "  of  the  fish,  and  allowed  to 
travel  freely  along  the  bottom.  When  you  have  a  bite,  be 
not  in  too  great  a  hurry,  as  the  salmon  does  not  bolt  his  prey 
instantly,  but  give  him  time,  and  when  you  think  he  has  had 
time  to  get  the  bait  in  his  mouth,  a  sharp,  steady,  but  not 
too  violent,  tug  wiU  put  you  en  rafport  with  him.  Then  look 
out  for  squalls,  and  do  the  best  you  can  with  him.  The  min- 
now, par-tail,  and  artificial  baits  are  used,  in  much  the  same  way 
as  I  have  already  pointed  out,  for  trout.  And  the  natural 
or  artificial  prawn,  baited  on  one  large  hook,  and  cast  and 
worked  by  sinking  and  drawing,  is  a  deadly  bait  on  very  many 
rivers.  I  once  hooked  a  good  fish  in  the  Gal  way  river  with  the 
Archimedean  minnow,  being  induced  to  try  it  by  seeing  the 
small  fry  flying  from  the  water  as  though  a  pike  were  after 
them.  Usually,  however,  I  do  not  care  to  use  anything  but 
the  fly.  On  this  occasion,  however,  I  had  tried  it  all  day 
futilely,  and  unquestionably  the  salmon  were  feeding  on  some 
small  fry  as  I  saw  them  "  fly  "  again  and  again. 

While  on  this  subject  I  may  also  say  that  I  have  seen  salmon 
feed  greedily  on  the  little  eels  which  during  "  eel  fare  "  run 
up  rivers.  These  facts,  combined  with  their  taking  both 
worms  and  minnow,  when  they  can  ^et  it,  quite  assure  me 
that  the  notion  that  salmon  do  not  feed  when  in  fresh  water, 
which  so  generally  prevails,  is  extremely  incorrect.  Salmon 
do  not  perhaps  feed  very  voraciously,  because  in  salmon 
rivers,  as  a  general  rule,  food,  and  particularly  in  the  heavy 
waters  salmon  inhabit,  is  not  very  abundant,  and  the  salmon 
is  not  given  to  roaming  about  far  from  home  in  search  of 
food  ;  but  I  very  much  question  if  anything  passes  his  lair 
within  eye-shot,  which  is  at  all  worth  his  notice,  that  he  does 
not  take  stock  or  toll  of. 

The  spoon  is  also  a  capital  artificial  lure  for  salmon,  and, 
in  trolling  upon  lakes,  is  often  employed  with  great  success. 
Otters  and  crosslines  are  both  means  of  taking  salmon.     In 


246  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

England  one  is  licensed  and  in  Ireland  the  other,  but  they  are 
little  better  than  poaching,  and  the  legislature  is  much  to 
blame  for  not  utterly  prohibiting  them  under  severe  penalties, 
as  they  are  hardly  inferior  to  downright  leistering  in  their 
destructiveness. 


SEA  TROUT  FISHING 

Sea  trout  are  of  two  species  :  the  white  trout  of  Ireland, 
salmon  trout  or  Salmo  trutta  of  England  and  science,  and  the 
grey  trout  or  bull  trout  of  Tweed,  Coquet,  and  elsewhere,  or 
Salmo  eriox.  The  bull  trout,  when  it  reaches  any  size,  is  a 
bad  riser,  save  when  in  the  condition  of  a  kelt,  at  which  time 
starvation  and  emaciation  makes  him  greedy  enough.  They 
say  there  is  a  time  of  year,  according  to  tradition,  when  the 
bull  trout  is  a  very  welcome  accessory  to  the  table.  I  will  not 
dispute  this,  but  rest  contented  by  saying  that  I  have  not  yet 
discovered  the  exact  day.  Yet  it  is  held  in  high  estimation 
by  the  French,  who  pay  as  much  for  it  as  they  do  for  salmon  ;* 
but  as  they  eat  kelts  with  a  relish  and  call  them  salmon,  one 
need  not  be  surprised  at  anything  they  do  in  that  way.  Bull 
trout  are  sometimes  caught  with- trout  flies,  and  now  and  then 
by  minnow  and  worm.  There  is  a  disputed  point  as  regards 
the  bull  trout,  whether  or  no  he  is  the  veritable  "  whitling  " 
of  the  Border  when  in  his  grilse  state.  This  I  cannot  of  course 
decide  beyond  question,  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  I  have  in 
the  same  river  caught  both  the  grilse  bull  trout,  and  the  ordin- 
ary white  or  salmon  trout,  each  of  about  a  pound  or  a  pound 
and  a  half  in  weight,  and  that  the  natives  called  them  both 
whitling,  so  which  is  really  entitled  to  the  name  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say.  The  flies  for  both  these  fish  on  the  Border 
rivers  are  the  same,  and  are  called  whitling  flies  :  they  are 
similar  to  the  ordinary  sea-trout  and  white  trout  flies  used 
elsewhere.  As  to  the  style  of  fishing  there  is  nothing  peculiar 
or  decided  in  it,  for  one  almost  as  often  catches  sea  trout  with 
the  common  trout  fly,  when  fronting,  as  with  the  small-sized 
salmon  fly  when  salmon  fishing,  or  with  both  as  the  regular 
orthodox  sea-trout  fly. 

The  white  trout  is  one  of  the  gamest  fish  that  swim.  Like 
a  champion  of  the  Ught-weights,  he  is  all  activity  :  when 
hooked  he  is  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  now  up,  now  down, 

*  And  so  do  the  English,  for  that  matter  ;  for  I  have  often  seen  large 
bull  trout  sold  in  the  London  shops  for  prime  Scotch  salmon. — F.  F. 


TACKLE  FOR  SEA  TROUT  247 

now  in  the  water  and  now  out ;  indeed,  an  hour  or  two's 
white  trout  fishing,  when  the  fish  are  in  the  humour,  is  about 
as  Hvely  and  pleasant  a  sport  as  the  angler  can  desire  ;  and 
as  salmon  trout  often  take  the  fly  well  up  to  six  and  seven 
pounds  weight,  where  they  are  found  of  that  size,  the  sport 
is  little  inferior  to  the  best  grilse-fishing. 

As  to  where  they  are  to  be  sought,  that  experience  alone 
will  determine,  as  they  abound  in  many  lakes  to  profusion 
and  take  nobly  in  them.  I  have  myself  caught  a  hundred- 
weight of  them  in  a  day  in  a  lake.  They  are  found  in  most 
salmon  rivers,  and  in  smaller  streams  which  are  too  shallow 
for  salmon.  The  smallest  mountain  beck  will  often  when  in 
spate  give  good  sport.  They  also  take  in  salt  water,  and  are 
quite  as  likely  to  be  found  in  the  mouth  of  the  river  as  they 
are  in  the  highest  pool  up  amongst  the  mountains,  for  they  are 
great  and  pertinacious  travellers.  You  may  catch  them  in 
salmon  pools,  in  dull  eddies,  and  in  sharp  streamsj  so  I  can 
give  no  advice  which  would  be  of  any  value  on  that  score. 

A  double-handed  trout  rod  or  a  light  grilsing  weapon  will 
be  found  the  most  advisable  rod  for  sport.*  The  gut  should  be 
single,  round  and  sound,  and  not  too  coarse,  but  stouter'^than 
you  would  use  for  ordinary  trouting,  and  two  flies  may  well 
be  used,  as  you  will  often  have  a  fish  at  each  when  luck  attends 
you.  They  take  bait  as  freely  as  fly,  and  are  the  most  sporting 
and  game  fish  which  the  angler  meets  with.  I  append  a  list 
of  sea-trout  flies  to  the  list  of  salmon  flies. 

*  Right  for  fishing  a  river ;  but  in  smaller  streams  or  fishing  a  lake  from 
a  boat  a  single-handed  trout  rod  is  quite  effective  and  less  tiring. — Ed. 


CHAPTER   X 

SALMON    FLIES 
List  of  Salmon  Flies — General  Flies — List  of  Flies  for  Scotch  Rivers 

ONE  of  the  most  difficult  things  in  tying  flies  from 
description  is  to  hit  off  the  right  shade  of  colour.  I 
have  done  my  best  to  overcome  this  difficulty  in 
point  of  description,  but,  more  or  less,  it  must 
always  exist,  and  the  fly  tyer  must  not  be  angry  with  me  if 
I  find  it  unable,  out  of  twenty  shades  of  green,  for  example, 
to  describe  in  words  any  particular  shade  beyond  the  possibility 
of  a  mistake. 

The  component  parts  of  a  salmon  fly  are  variously  named 
by  different  writers,  and  I  have  therefore,  to  avoid  mistakes, 
at  Plate  IX,  Fig.  8,  page  211,  given  a  figure  of  a  salmon  fly, 
in  which  each  part  is  lettered  and  named  according  to  the 
part  indicated,  as  follows : — a  the  tag ;  h  the  tail ;  c  the  butt ; 
d  the  tinsel ;  e  the  body  ;  /  the  hackle  ;  g  the  shoulder  hackle  ; 
h  the  under  wing ;  i  the  upper  wing ;  j  the  cheek  ;  k  the  head ; 
I  loop. 

I  have  been  many  years  collecting  this  list  of  flies,  of  the 
majority  of  which  I  have  brought  patterns  away  from  the 
rivers  themselves,  so  that  they  are  descriptions  of  the  actual 
flies  used  on  the  rivers  by  the  habitues  thereof.  W^en  these 
have  been  collected  long  since,  I  have  verified  them  sub- 
sequently by  reference  to  old  friends  and  persons  still  living 
on  the  rivers.  When  I  have  been  able  to  get  them,  I  have 
obtained  other  patterns  from  well-known  flj^  tyers  or  professors 
of  the  art  who  dwell  on  the  banks  of  their  favourite  streams. 
Many  acts  of  kindness  and  liberality  have  I  to  be  thankful 
for  in  this  respect,  and  to  all  those  gentlemen  who  have  lent 
me  any  assistance  I  desire  here  to  offer  my  very  sincerest 
and  warmest  thanks.  They  have  assisted  in  a  good  and  use- 
ful work,  as  the  description  of  the  various  flies  employed  for 
each  separate  river  of  any  note  in  the  United  Kingdom  has 

348 


I 


GENERAL  SALMON  FLIES  249 

never  been  brought  together  in  any  work  before,  and  indeed 
I  may  say  never  could  be  by  anyone  who  has  not  enjoyed 
the  pecuUar  and  favourable  facilities  which  I  have  for  obtain- 
ing access  to  the  most  strictly  preserved  waters.  There  are 
many  persons  who  hold  that  half  a  dozen  flies  are  enough  to 
kill  salmon  on  any  river  in  the  kingdom,  and  who  will  despise 
the  notion  of  such  an  extended  Ust  of  flies.  To  such  irreverent 
scoffers  and  heretical  imbeHevers  I  have  nothing  to  say.  Let 
them  indulge  in  their  re-pertoire  of  a  bit  of  old  Turkey  carpet 
and  a  Hve  barn-door  rooster.  They  are,  to  the  artists  who 
attain  eminence  in  the  dehghtful  occupation  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  illustrate,  what  the  chalker  of  pavements 
is  to  a  Landseer.  Equally  well,  no  doubt,  would  they  land  a 
salmon  if  they  hooked  him  with  a  clothes  prop,  a  jack  line, 
and  a  meat  hook.* 

Hooks  are  varied  so  much  in  size,  not  only  by  different 
makers  but  even  by  the  same  makers,  and  the  numbering  and 
lettering  becomes  so  troublesome  and  complicated,  that  I 
have  given  a  scale  of  Limerick  hooks  of  sizes  numbered  for 
reference,  as  the  easiest  and  simplest  mode  of  expression.! 

I  have  described  a  number  of  general  flies  which  are  more  or 
less  used  upon  several  rivers  with  success ;  and  these  will 
always,  when  the  angler  is  unacquainted  with  the  special  and 
pet  varieties  for  the  fish  of  the  river  he  is  bent  on  plundering, 
form  an  efficient  corps  de  reserve,  and  amongst  them  a  killer 
or  two  will  certainly  be  found. 

The  Doctor. — ^This  is  a  very  general  and  deserved^  favourite. 
Commeiicing,  then,  at  the  bend  of  the  hook,  tie  on  as  a  tag 
three  or  four  turns  of  fine  gold  twist.  Tail,  a  single  gold 
pheasant  topping,  over  this  a  turn  of  scarlet  crewel ;  body, 
pale  blue  floss  silk,  with  hackle  a  shade  or  two  darker,  wound 
on  from  tail  to^^head  (this  is  varied  at  times  with  blue  jay's 
feather)  ;  silveri^tinsel  (in  large  fUes  of  all  kinds  the  tinsel  may 
be  rendered  more  conspicuous  by  the^addition  of  some  twist 
wound  on  beside  it).  At  the  shoulder  a  brown  grouse,  part- 
ridge, or  bustard  hackle  may  be  wound  on  ;  a  blue  jay  is  some- 
times used  over  the  blue  hackle.  The  wing  is  a  mixed  wing, 
containing  fibres  of  bustard,  dark  turkey,  argus  pheasant,  and 
claret,  blue,  and  yellow  fibres  of  stained  swan  feathers,  the 
latter  predominating.    In  smaller  flies  mallard  and  pintail  are 

*  Reference  to  the  above  paragraph  has  been  made  in  the  introduction  to 
this  edition. — Ed. 

t  Unluckily  Mr.  Francis's  scale  has  never  been  adopted  as  the  standard ; 
so  the  scale  followed  by  Messrs.  Alcock  is  given  on  Plate  XXIII. — Ed. 


«0  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

introduced.  The  head  is  of  scarlet  crewel.  This  fly  is  dressed 
upon  any  sized  hook,  from  about  No.  6  to  No.  lo,  to  suit  the 
water.     (Plate  XIX,  Fig.  i.)f.  :-19. 

The  Silver  Doctor  is  also  a  good  standardafly.  Tag,  silver 
tinsel ;  tail,  gold  pheasant  topping,  a  turn  of  red  crewel  over 
the  stump  of  it  for  the  butt ;  body,  silver  tinsel ;  hackle  blue, 
as  before,  with  a  brown  hackle  at  the  shoulder,  and  a  small 
speckled  gallina  over  it ;  wing,  chiefly  of  pintail,  with  a  few 
red  and  blue  fibres,  and  two  toppings  over  it ;  red  crewel  head. 
And  a  very  pretty  showy  fly  it  makes.    Size  as  before. 

Having  finished  with  the  medical  profession,  we  now  turn 
to  the  army,  and  produce 

The  Colonel. — ^There  are  two  uniforms  which  the  Colonel 
rejoices  in ;  the  one  a  bright  gold  or  yellow,  and  the  other 
a  red  gold,  or  orange.  Tag,  gold  twist  and  two  turns  of  bright 
yellow  floss  ;  tail,  red  and  yellow  sprigs  mixed  with  gaUina, 
and  a  topping  ;  no  butt ;  body,  yellow  floss  half-way  up,  and 
then  orange  pig's  wool ;  over  this  is  ribbed  side  by  side,  gold 
twist  and  tinsel  and  black  floss  (a  bit  of  unravelled  coarse  sew- 
ing silk  does  better) — first  the  twist,  then  the  tinsel,  then  the 
black  silk  ;  yellow  hackle  from  tail  to  head,  bustard  hackle  at 
shoulder;  under  wing  gold  pheasant  tippet,  two  feathers 
shortish  ;  on  either  side  of  these  strips  of  bustard  and  argus 
pheasant  (the  dark  small  speckled  feather)  ;  fibres  of  yellow 
thrown  in  here  and  there,  and  over  all  a  topping  with  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  For  the  orange  variety  read  orange 
for  yeUow.    Size  various,  from  about  No.  4  to  8. 

The  Major. — Tag,  silver  twist  and  ruby  floss  ;  tail,  fiores  of 
bustard  hackle,  tippet  and  a  topping  ;  body  composite,  viz. 
two  turns  of  medium  blue,  ditto  of  dark  orange,  about  four  or 
five  of  bright  claret,  and  two  more  of  blue  pig's  wool,  over  this 
silver  tinsel  and  gold  twist  side  by  side  ;  a  red  claret  hackle, 
commencing  from  the  orange  wool ;  the  blue  wool  picked  out  in 
longish  fibres  at  the  shoulder,  over  this  a  bustard  hackle,  then 
the  wing,  and  over  that  a  yellow  hackle.  The  wing  is  com- 
posed of  a  white  ribbed  snipe's  feather,  with  longish  tippet  on 
either  side,  over  this  bustard  and  gold  pheasant  tail  in  strips, 
with  red,  blue,  and  greenish  yellow  fibres,  and  over  all  topping  ; 
black  head.  It  is  a  capital  fly,  but  I  think  some  of  the  dressing 
is  rather  overdone  and  might  be  dispensed  with.  Size  same  as 
the  last. 

Following  up  the  miUtary  lead,  we  come  to  the  Rangers. 

The  Black  Ranger. — Tag,  silver  twist  and  golden  floss  ;  tail, 


GENERAL  SALMON  FLIES  251 

the  bright  red  breast  feather  of  Indian  crow  and  a  topping ; 
butt,  two  turns  of  black  ostrich  ;  body,  two  or  three  turns  of 
golden  floss,  ditto  of  bright  fiery-red  pig's  wool,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  body  of  black  ;  silver  tinsel  and  twist ;]  very 
dark  blue  hackle,  extending  from  the  red  mohair ;  black 
hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  pair  of  long  jungle  cock  feathers, 
a  trifle  longer  than  the  hook ;  doubled*  tippet  feathers  over 
them  ;  topping  over  all,  blue  macaw  ribs,  and  kingfisher  at  the 
cheeks.     Plate  XVIII,  Fig.  i.) 

The  Blue  Ranger. — Tag,  silver  twist  and  gold-coloured  floss  ; 
tail  as  before;  butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  gold-coloured  floss 
and  fiery-red  wool  as  before  ;  light  blue  pig  wool  for  the  rest  of 
the  body  ;  blue  hackle,  a  shade  darker  from  almost  the  middle 
of  the  wool  to  the  shoulder,  gallina  hackle  over  ;  silver  tinsel 
and  twist ;  wing,  a  pair  of  tippets  ;  double  jungle  cock  over 
them  ;]  topping  over  all ;  black  head.  Both  these  flies,  as 
regards  size,  to  follow  the  colonel's  lead.  We  will  now  leave 
the  military  and  go  into  the  church. 

The  Parson. — This  is  a  very  showy  fly,  and  is  used  chiefly 
on  the  Erne,  but  it  is  a  capital  fly  anywhere  where  a  showy  fly 
is  required.  It  is  on  the  Erne  rather  a  generic  name  for  a 
series  of  flies  than  for  any  special  one,  as  we  have  there,  green 
parsons,  and  blue  parsons,  and  golden  parsons,  and  so  on.  The 
parson  being  merely  significant  of  plenty  of  toppings  in  the 
wing.  The  Golden  Parson,  however,  is  my  idea  of  the  fly,  and 
this  I  will  describe. 

Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  mauve  floss ;  tail,  two  toppings,  a 
few  sprigs  of  tippet  and  a  kingfisher  ;  body,  two  turns  of  golden 
floss  silk,  then  golden  pig's  wool,  merging  into  orange  ;  golden 
orange  hackle  over  the  wool,  red  orange  hackle  over  that,  and 
two  or  three  or  more  short  toppings  tied  in  at  the  breast, 
instead  of  shoulder  hackle  ;  wing,  a  tippet  feather  with  a  cock 
of  the  rock  (not  the  squared  feather)  on  either  side,  and  one 
above,  strips  of  pintail  or  wood  duck  on  either  side,  and  as 
many  toppings  as  you  can  pile  on — seven  or  eight  or  more  if 
you  like.  These  are  often  tied  on  with  the  turn  bent  inwards  at 
Ballyshannon,  and  it  gives  them  more  play  in  the  water. 
Kingfisher's  feathers  on  either  cheek,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ; 
black  head.  This,  however,  is  decidedly  a  topping  parson,  a 
sort  of  bishop  or  archbishop  parson,  in  fact,  and  not  for  every- 
day use  ;    we  only  bring  him  out  when  the  feeUngs  of  the 

♦  Doubled  feathers  mean  where  a  short  feather  is  laid  on  over  and  beside 
a  long  one  of  the  same  kind. — F.  F. 


252  A  BOOK  OK  ANGLING 

salmon,  having  resisted  all  ordinary  persuasiveness,  require 
to  be  very  strongly  appealed  to.  But  if  you  substitute  a 
golden  olive  hackle,  with  a  medium  claret  above  that,  and  blue 
jay  at  shoulder,  and  reduce  the  number  of  toppings,  and  tie 
into  the  wing  a  couple  of  gold  pheasant  saddle  feathers  over 
the  tippet  feather,  a  capital  working  parson,  a  sort  of  curate,  is 
produced,  fit  for  hard  every-day  work. 

We  now  come  to  the  bourgeois,  and  begin  with  one  whose 
very  name  is  ensanguined. 

The  Butcher  (Farlow's) . — This  is  a  very  general  favourite  ; 
it  kills  almost  wherever  there  are  salmon.  In  the  Awe,  the 
Orchy,  the  Brora,  the  Naver,  the  Thurso,  the  Helmsdale,  the 
Annan,  and  the  Taw  and  Torridge,  it  is  a  prime  favourite. 
Tag,  gold  twist  and  dark  orange  floss ;  tail,  one  topping ; 
butt,  black  ostrich  herl ;  body,  two  or  three  turns  of  claret, 
ditto  of  medium  blue,  ditto  of  red,  and  the  rest  of  dark  blue 
pig's  wool ;  broad  silver  tinsel ;  medium  red  claret  hackle, 
galUna  on  shoulder ;  under  wing,  a  tippet  and  gold  pheasant 
rump  feather,  over  them  strips  of  brown  mallard,  bustard, 
peacock,  wood  duck,  and  blue  and  yellow  swan  strips  ;  black 
head.     (Frontispiece,  Fig.  6.) 

Here  is  another  plan  of  dressing  the  fly  sent  me  by  a  friend, 
who  is  a  very  skilful  brother  of  the  craft,  being  no  less  than 
the  gentleman  who  writes  those  pleasant  chatty  articles  in 
Bell's  Life,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "  Fin."  I  give  his  own 
directions.  Mixed  wing,  rich  long  jungle  cock  feathers  over ; 
body,  claret,  blue,  and  orange  pig's  wool ;  three  turns  of  broad 
silver  twist ;  dark  claret  hackle  at  shoulder,  Hght  claret  to  the 
tail ;  small  kingfisher  feather  on  each  shoulder  ;  tail,  topping 
and  wood  duck ;  and  he  adds,  "I've  killed  lots  of  fish  with 
this  fly."  As  poor  Pat  McKay  used  to  say,  "  Av  coorse  ye 
have,  megorra  !  why  wouldn't  ye  ?  " 

The  Baker  (Farlow's)  is  another  good  general  fly  ',]  dressed 
small  it  is  a  standard  fly  on  the  Dovey.  Tag,  gold  twist  and 
lightish  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  herl ;  body, 
three  turns  of  golden-coloured  floss,  dark  orange,  hght  blue, 
and  red  pig's  wool,  broadish  gold  tinsel ;  medium  red  claret 
hackle,  gallina  at  shoulder,  with  light  blue  over  it ;  under  wing, 
two  tippet  feathers,  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  bustard,  pea- 
cock, red,  bright  green,  and  blue  and  yellow  sprigs  of  swan  over ; 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

Having  given  the  butcher  and  baker,  the  trades  will  not  be 
complete  without 


I 


GENERAL  SALMON  FLIES  253 

The  Candlestick  Maker. — ^This  is  a  fly  to  light  the  sahnon  to 
bed  with.  I  dressed  one  as  a  whim  some  years  since,  and  sent 
it  to  a  friend,  who  reported  favom^ably  of  it  to  me  ;  since  then 
it  has  done  useful  service.  The  body,  for  the  lower  half,  is  black 
silk  ;  the  upper,  black  pig's  wool,  very  bushy  towards  the 
shoulder,  and  picked  out  at  the  breast ;  hackle,  golden-ohve, 
with  claret  at  the  shoulder  ;  tinsel,  broad  silver  ;  tail,  scarlet 
ibis,  and  wood  duck  ;  wing,  five  or  six  toppings  with  doubled 
jungle  cock  on  either  side.  At  dusk,  this  fly  will  often  show  the 
salmon  the  way  upstairs,  when  others  will  fail. 

The  Childers  (Farlow's). — This  is  another  excellent  general 
fly.  It  is  a  slaughterer  on  the  Thurso,  the  Naver,  the  Helms- 
dale, and  the  Brora.  Tag,  gold  twist  and  golden-coloured  floss  ; 
tail,  a  topping,  some  teal,  and  tippet ;  body,  yellow,  orange, 
and  dark  red  (somewhat  of  a  lake)  pig's  wool,  broad  gold 
tinsel ;  hackle,  dark  red  claret  and  light  blue  on  the  shoulder  ; 
wing,  a  good  lump  of  whitish  tipped  dark  turkey,  and  strips  of 
bustard,  and  gold  pheasant  tail  over  it,  mixed  with  sUces  of 
blue,  pale  red,  orange,  and  yellow  swan  ;  head,  black. 

The  last  four  flies  are  dressed  of  various  sizes  to  suit  the 
water. 

The  Claret* — ^Tag,  gold  twist  and  gold  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping, 
and  sUps  of  blue  and  red  macaw ;  butt," black  ostrich,  two 
turns  ;  body,  three  of  orange  floss,  medium  reddish  claret  pig's 
wool,  stoutish  gold  thread,  a  hght  reddish  claret  hackle,  com- 
mencing about  half-way  down  the  body,  with  a  couple  of  turns 
of  black  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  under  wing,  a  tippet  feather,  and 
over  it  mixed  fibres  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  turkey,  bustard,  and 
peacock,  fibres  of  green  and  red  parrot  thrown  in,  ribs,  blue 
macaw,  and  one  topping  over  all ;  black  head.  This  fly  may 
be  varied  by  varying  the  shade  of  the  claret,  which  may  be  from 
hght  red  to  dark  purple  claret,  the  wing  being  sobered  down 
as  the  fly  is  made  darker.  It  is  a  very  useful  fly,  and  a  general 
favourite.  It  may  be  made  of  almost  any  size  from  4  to  10,  or 
II  even.    It  is  good  for  sea  trout. 

The  Guinea  Hen. — ^This  is  a  specimen  of  a  trimmed  fly; 
i.e.  the  hackle  is  trimmed  or  cHpped  on  the  breast,  whilst 
it  is  left  long  and  full  on  the  back  in  order  to  form  a 
part  of  the  wing.     In   the  illustration  it  might  with  ad- 

♦  I  call  this  a  claret.  I  hardly  know  what  would  be  the  proper  term. 
Some  might  call  it  a  fiery  brown,  but  having  the  fate  of  Martin  Kelly  before 
me,  I  eschew  Fiery  Browns.  To  my  view  of  the  case  there  are  two  clarets, 
one  in  which  the  red  tinge,  and  the  other  in  which  the  blue  or  purple  pre- 
dominate.   I  shall  endeavour  to  distinguish  them  thus. — F.  F. 


254  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

vantage  be  trimmed  a  little  closer  on  the  breast.  Tag, 
orange  floss ;  tail,  a  topping ;  body,  medium  blue  floss ; 
hackle,  guinea  hen  (small  speckled),  laid  on  pretty  thick  and 
trimmed  off  on  the  breast :  silver  twist ;  wings,  gold  pheasant 
tail,  and  tippet,  mixed  fibres  with  guinea  hen  and  teal  and 
yellow  fibres ;  blue  macaw  ribs ;  head,  peacock  herl.  Size, 
6,  7,  and  8.  A  useful  fly  ;  varies  nicely  by  dyeing  the  hackle 
yellow. 

Black  and  Teal. — Tag,  silver  twist  and  golden  floss ;,  tail, 
one  topping ;  butt,  black  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  orange  floss, 
the  rest  black  (either  floss,  horsehair,  mohair,  or  unlaid  sewing 
silk),  in  large  flies  fur  is  often  used  ;  broadish  silver  tinsel ; 
black^hackle  over  three  parts  of  the  body  ;  galUna  (the  dark 
feather  with  the  large  round  spots,  not  the  small  speckled  grey) 
on  the  shoulder  ■;  wing,  double  jungle  cock  with  topping  over 
them,  and  two  good-sized  teal,  or  the  small  feather  of  the  black 
partridge,  one  on  either  shoulder  to  form  a  body  to  the  wing  ; 
head,  gold  thread.  This  is  my  own  pattern  of  dressing  this  fly, 
and  a  very  good  one  I  consider  it  to  be.  The  fly  is  a  first- 
rate  general  fly,  and  should  be  kept  of  all  sizes,  as  it  will  kill 
large  lake  and  river  trout  or  sea  trout,  as  well  as  salmon,  if 
regulated  in  size.  The  smaller  patterns  may  be  made  with 
single  jungle  cock  feathers,  a  trifle  more  teal  being  added.  It 
is  one  of  the  best  flies  that  can  be  used  on  the  Spey.  Some 
persons,  however,  dress  it  purely  with  a  teal  wing?;  it  is  good 
anyhow.     (Plate  XVIII,  Fig.  4.) 

The  Namsen. — There  is  not  a  prettier  body^^made  than  the 
Namsen  boasts  of.  It  is  a  great  favourite  of  mine.  Tag,  silver 
twist ;  tail,  one  topping,  some  red  parrot,  and  pintail  sprigs ; 
body  roughish,  two  turns  of  bright  yellow  pig's  wool  merged 
into  deep  orange,  and  that  into  medium  red  claret,  and  that 
again  into  bright  medium  (or  incHning  to  darkish)  blue  ;  the 
upper  part  of  the  claret  and  the  blue  tied  in  roughly  for  picking 
out,  the  blue  the  longest,  of  course ;  silver  tinsel  with  gold 
thread  beside  it ;  longish  black  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  shps 
of  dark  turkey,  bright  bustard,  EngHsh  bustard,  red,  blue,  and 
greenish-yellow  dyed  swan  ;  head  black.  Size  from  4  or  5  to  9 
or  10. 

The  Popham, — ^This  is  a  peculiar  species  of  fly,  and  in  the 
interest  of  the  fly  tyer,  I  have  given  a  cut  of  it  (Frontispiece, 
Fig.  i).  It  kills  upon  two  or  three  rivers  in  the  North,  I 
believe,  on  the  Ness  and  the  Brora,  and  occasionally  elsewhere. 
It  never  was  a  great  favourite  of  mine,  being  a  very  troublesome 


W  yell 


TWEED  SALMON  FLIES  255 

fly  to  tie.  It  is,  however,  an  established  favourite  with  some 
anglers,  and  therefore  I^describe  it.  Tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  a 
topping,  two  turns  of  peacock  herl  over  it.  The  body  is  in 
three  joints  ;  the  lowest  is  yellow,  the  middle  one  blue,  and  the 
upper  one  orange  floss.  At  every  joint  there  is  a  turn  or  two  of 
peacock  herl,  and  tied  in  instead  of  a  hackle,  and  pointing 
downwards  hke  a  hackle  are  three  or  four  of  the  small  red 
feathers  in  the  breast  of  the  Indian  crow.  Fine  gold  twist ; 
blue  jay,  hackled  at  shoulder  ;  mixed  wing,  fibres  of  gold 
pheasant  tail  and  tippet,  bustard,  teal,  blue,  yellow,  and 
claret- dyed  sawn,  and  a  topping  over  all ;  peacock  herl  head. 
Size,  from  7  to  11. 

The  Britannia. — ^This  is  a  very  rich  fly,  but  it  is  a  tried 
accepted  favourite  upon  many  rivers.  It  kills  well  on  the 
Thurso,  to  which  river,  by  the  way,  I  first  introduced  it 
several  years  ago.  I  had  very  good  sport  with  it  there.  The 
tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  a  good-sized  topping,  a  bit  of  scarlet  ibis 
and  fibres  of  bright  bastard  bustard  ;  body,  two  or  three  turns 
of  bright  golden  floss,  and  then  bright  orange  pig's  wool,  gold 
tinsel,  and  silver  twist ;  bright  red  claret  hackle  ;  bustard  or 
wood  duck  hackle  over  that,  and  dark  blue  or  green  hackle  on 
shoulder,  or  rather  as  a  ruff  over  the  v/ing  ;  under  wing,  a 
couple  of  shovel  duck  feathers,  with  from  three  to  five  toppings 
over  it ;  two  short  jungle  cock  on  either  shoulder,  and  two 
shorter  still  kingfisher  just  below  them  at  cheek  ;  head,  gold 
thread.  A  very  warm  gorgeous-looking  fly.  By  using  a  dark 
orange  or  a  red-brown  hackle,  the  warmth  of  the  fly  may  be 
toned  down.  The  green  shoulder-hackled  fly  is  my  favourite. 
Size,  4,  5,  or  6. 

The  Goldfinch. — This  fly  is  the  handsomest  and  neatest  speci- 
men of  a  showy  salmon  fly  I  know  of.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  black 
floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  gold  coloured  floss,  hackle  pale 
ow,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ;  gold  tinsel ;  wing,  composed 
entirely  of  toppings  ;  red  macaw  ribs,  and  black  head.  Size  5 
to  7. 

TWEED  FLIES 


I 


"Few  rivers  are  so  varied  in  their  character  as  the  Tweed, 
which  comprises  in  its  length  every  kind  of  water — rapid, 
dub,  stream,  fall,  etc.  The  lower  part  of  the  salmon-fishing  is 
mostly  boat-fishing ;  higher  up  it  can  be  fished  a  good  deal 
from  the  shore.     The  waters  or  holdings  are  not  generally 


256  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

extensive,  being  very  valuable,  and  fetching  high  rents.  The 
flies  are  not  large,  and  the  sport  runs  from  May  to  November. 
For  closer  information  see  a  capital  little  work  by  Younger, 
published  by  Rutherford,  of  Kelso,  wherein  every  water  and 
cast  on  the  Tweed  is  named  and  described. 

The  Durham  Ranger. — ^This  is  a  favourite  pattern  on  the 
Tweed,  but  it  is  like  most  of  the  Tweed  flies,  good  anywhere. 
Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  gold  floss ;  tail,  one  topping ;  butt,  two 
turns  of  black  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  light  orange  floss,  then 
two  of  dark  orange,  of  claret,  and  black  pig's  wool,  respectively 
— according  to  the  size  of  the  fly  the  turns  may  of  course  be 
increased  or  lessened  ;  the  black  wool  to  be  picked  out  at  the 
breast.  Over  the  whole  of  the  wool  a  coch  y  bondu  hackle  (red 
with  black  centre),  stained  a  bright  red-orange,  two  turns  of 
black  hackle  over  it,  and  a  light  blue  hackle  on  the  shoulder ; 
wing,  a  pair  of  longish  jungle  cock  in  centre,  doubled  tippets  on 
either  side,  one  topping  over  all  \\  blue  macaw  ribs  and  a  king- 
fisher feather  on  either  cheek. 

Jock  Scott. — Another  good  Tweed  pattern,  which  is  very 
useful  elsewhere.  Tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  one  topping  and  one 
Indian  crow  feather ;  body,  in  two  joints,  gold-coloured  floss 
the  lowest,  and  black  floss  the  upper  ;  from  the  joint  is  tied, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Popham,  two  or  three  short  toucan 
points,  and  over  the  butts  of  them,  at  the  joint,  two  turns  of 
black  herl ;  silver  twist,  a  black  hackle  over  the  black  joint, 
and  speckled  gallina  at  shoulder  ;  wing  mixed,  a  white  tip 
turkey  slip  in  the  middle,  fibres  of  pintail,  or  teal,  bustard, 
brown  mallard,  yellow,  red,  and  green  parrot,  one  topping  over 
all,  blue  macaw  ribs,  a  kingfisher  on  either  cheek.  Any  size  to 
suit  the  water,  from  6  to  lo  or  ii.     (Frontispiece,  Fig.  2.) 

The  Dun  Wing. — Another  capital  Tweed  favourite,  which 
is  a  pretty  general  one  also.  Tail,  one  topping  and  sprigs  of 
tippet ;  body,  light  orange,  red-claret,  darkish  blue  and  black 
pig's  wool  in  about  equal  portions  merging  into  each  other ; 
broadish  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  down  to  the  red  wool,  a 
few  fibres  of  the  blue  wool  picked  out  at  the  breast ;  wings, 
two  strips  from  the  dun  brown  feather  sometimes  found  in  the 
tail  of  a  turkey.  This  fly  is  a  special  favourite  on  the  Kirkcud- 
brightshire Dee,  the  Annan,  and  Nith  ;  and,  dressed  on  a  long 
large  hook,  it  is  good  on  the  Tay  and  many  other  streams 
besides.    Size  from  5  or  6  to  9  or  10.     (Frontispiece,  Fig.  5.) 

The  Drake  Wing. — ^This  is  another  good  Tweed  fly,  and  a 
fair  general  favoiirite  also.    Tail,  tippet  sprigs,  and  a  yellow 


I 


TWEED  SALMON  FLIES  257 

toucan  feather  ;  body,  orange,  red,  and  black  pig's  wool,  the 
red  being  about  two-j&fths  and  the  black  three-fifths  of  the 
body ;  broadish  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  a  coch  y  bondu  hackle, 
stained  a  dark  orange-red,  the  black  part  being  left  on  for  the 
shoulders,  and  over  this  a  lavender  hackle  ;  wing,  two  strips  of 
pintail.    Any  size  from  6  to  11. 

The  small  edition  of  this,  used  in  the  summer,  is  called  the 
Teal  Wing. 

White  Wing. — This  fly  I  have  never  seen  save  on  the  Tweed. 
It  is  a  capital  fly  for  the  evening  there,  however,  and  kills  well. 
Tail,  one  topping,  and  a  bit  of  tippet ;  body,  one  turn  of  yellow, 
one  of  orange,  two  of  claret,  and  the  rest  of  black  pig's  wool ; 
broad  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  from  tail  to  head  ;  Ught  blue 
hackle  on  shoulders ;  two  slips  of  white  swan  for  wings.  Size, 
4>'5,  or  6. 

The  White  Tip. — ^This  fly  is  hke  the  last  in  every  particular, 
save  that  there  is  no  orange  in  the  body,  and  the  wings  are  two 
slips  of  the  feather  from  a  wild  duck's  wing  with  white  tip  and 
butt,  and  black  in  the  middle.    Size  from  5  to  8. 

The  Toppy. — A  noted  old  Tweed  fly,  and  a  perfect  speci- 
men of  the  simplest  form  of  salmon  fly.  Tag,  ruby  floss  ;  tail, 
a  tuft  of  yellow  mohair  ;  body,  black  pig's  wool ;  fine  silver 
tinsel ;  two  turns  of  red  hackle  next  the  tail,  black  hackle 
for  the  rest  of  the  fly ;  wings,  two  strips  of  dark  turkey  tipped 
with  white  ;  head,  red  mohair.    Size  from  5  to  8. 

Kate. — This  is  a  comparatively  new  fly  on  the  Tweed, 
but  it  kills  well  there.  I  have  not  seen  it  tried  elsewhere, 
but  I  think  the  pattern  is  so  likely  that  I  see  no  reason  why 
it  should  not  do  well  on  other  waters.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and 
light  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  with  short  kingfisher  feather  ; 
body,  ruby  floss,  two  or  three  turns,  and  darkish  red  pig's  wool 
picked  out  at  breast ;  orange  hackle  at  shoulder,  silver  twist ; 
light  mixed  wing,  tippet  sprigs,  black  partridge  (or  pintail,  if 
the  fibres  be  not  long  enough),  bustard,  wood  ducl^,  mallard, 
blue,  red,  green  and  yellow  sprigs,  one  topping  over  all,  jungle 
cock  at  shoulders,  bluefmacaw  ribs^;-!  black  head.  Size  from 
about  7  to  II. 

The  Blue  Doctor  (p.  249)  is  also  a  favourite  fly  on  the  Tweed  ; 
so  is  the  Silver  Doctor,  but  they  vary  the  dressing,  giving  it  a 
black  head  and  butt  instead  of  red ;  a  silver-grey  cuckoo  dun 
hackle  instead  of  blue,  with  teal  at  the  shoulder.  *    The  wing  is 

*  Tweed  fishers  have  reverted  to  the  red  head  and  butt,  and  the  blue 
hackle. — Ed. 


258  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

made  somewhat  greyer  by  an  admixture  of  mallard,  wood- 
duck,  and  bustard,  and  fa  few  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  tail. 
Size  from  6  to  lo. 

The  Black  and  Yellow  is  another  capital  fly,  a  first-rate 
general  evening  fly  too  anywhere.  Tag,  silver  twist  and 
orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  or  two  according  to  size  of  fly  ; 
black  ostrich  butt ;  black  silk  body ;  black  hackle ;  silver 
tinsel  (if  large  fly  twist  with  it)  ;  Ught  blue  hackle  on  shoulder  ; 
wing,  red  feather  of  gold  pheasant  rump,  the  remainder  of  the 
wing  composed  of  toppings  according  to  the  size  and  require- 
ment of  the  fly,  from  three  to  seven  or  eight  probably,  king- 
fisher cheeks  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  Sizeprom  6 
to  10  or  II. 

The  Golden  Mallard  (I  never  heard  a  name  for  this  fly,  so 
I  have  christened  it). — It  is  a  capital  fly,  and  will  kill  elsewhere 
than  the  Tweed.  Tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  one  topping  and  king- 
fisher ;  body,  gold  tinsel,  gold  twist  ribbed  over  it ;  stained 
blood-red  coch  y  bondu  hackle  at  shoulder ;  and  brown  mallard 
wings,  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.    Size  as  in  the  last. 

Some  of  the  Tay  flies,  particularly  the  Wasps  dressed  small, 
will  kill  well  in  the  Tweed.  The  above  patterns  are  nearly 
all  from  the  repertoire  of  my  old  acquaintance,  James  Wright, 
of  Sprouston,  a  first-rate  artist.  Beloe,  of  Coldstream,  and 
Forrest,  of  Kelso,  are  also  excellent  furnishers  of  anghng 
requisites.  Forrest  has  a  high  name  as  a  salmon-rod  maker,* 
and  Beloe  is  celebrated  for  his  trout  flies.  For  a  salmon  fly, 
however,  James  has  deservedly  *'  the  call  *'  on  Tweedside,  and, 
in  fact,  for  all  the  south  of  Scotland,  f  Tweed  flies  range  in  size 
from  medium-sized  salmon  down  to  sea  trout  size.  The  latter 
are  tied  on  double  hooks,  which  are  very  effective. 

THE   KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE   DEE 

The  Cree  flies  given  below  will  also  kill  on  the  Dee,  as  will 
the  dun  wing  Tweed  flies  ;  but  the  favourite  fly  given  to 
me  by  Mr.  Laurie,  of  Laurieston,  an  old  resident  and  renter 
of  fishing  in  that  river,  is  :  tail,  a  small  topping  ;  body,  two 
turns  of  yellow,  and  the  rest  of  black  pig's  wool ;  silver  tinsel, 
black  hackle,  and  two  slips  of  good  red  gled  for  wings.  The 
flies  are  not  large,  the  ordinary  grilse  size  and  smaller. 

Mr.  Herbert  Maxwell,  of  Monreith,  has,  since  the  pubUca- 
tion  of  the  last  edition,  sent  me  an  account  of  the  Galloway 

*  And  retains  it  to  this  day. — Ed. 

t  James  Wright  is  now  no  more,  alas  ! — Ed. 


THE  GALLOWAY  RIVERS  259 

rivers,  with  patterns  of  flies,  and  his  remarks  are  so  clear  and 
to  the  purpose  that  I  append  them. 

THE   CREE  AND   ITS  TRIBUTARY  THE  MINNICK 

"  These  are  both  good  spring  rivers  (this  week  last  year,  in 
one  day,  Captain  Colvin  Stewart  had  nine  clean  fish — four 
rods  eighteen  fish). 

"  Flies  :— 

"No.  L  Tail  a  small  topping  and  tuft  of  red  parrot ;  body, 
yellow-orange  merging  into  scarlet  and  claret  for  half  the  body  ; 
the  upper  half  black  pig's  wool,  dressed  roughish  ;  hackle 
brown-red,  with  plenty  of  black  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  thin  gold 
tinsel  doubled  ;  wing,  turkey  dun  with  light  tips. 

"  No.  2.  Tail  and  body  and  tinsel  as  before  ;  lower  hackle  as 
before,  shoulder  hackle  lightish  medium  blue  ;  wing,  sUps  of 
brown  mallard. 

"  No.  3.  Tail  and  tinsel  as  before  ;  body  dark  cinnamon- 
brown  (darker  than  cinnamon)  ;  hackle  the  same  shade, 
shoulder  hackle  black  ;  wing  brown  mallard. 

"  These  are  the  standard  flies,  sizes  from  8  to  12  in  your 
Limerick  scale.  They  are  varied,  and,  I  think,  improved 
by  a  topping  over,  or  small  tippet  feather  under  the  wing. 
The  fish  are  numerous  but  small,  most  weigh  about  ten  pounds. 
The  Butchers  and  Doctors  kill  well,  and  small  dark  clarets. 

THE   BLADENOCH 

"  A  fair  spring  river,  but  at  no  season  so  good  as  the  Cree, 
as  the  fish  are  very  shy.  The  same  flies  will  kill  well-dressed 
larger,  but  the  favourite  is  the  dun  wing,  as  dressed  by  Wright, 
of  Sprouston  (see  Tweed,  p.  256).  Sizes  from  4  to  6  in  spring 
down  to  9  or  10  in  summer.  The  Butcher  (p.  252)  is  a  prime 
favourite  also  for  spring. 

THE   LUCE 

"  This  is  a  late  river,  but  the  fish  run  far  heavier  than  in 
either  of  the  others,  a  twenty-pound  fish  being  by  no  means  a 
rarity.    My  favourite  fly  is  dressed  as  follows. 

"  Tag,  gold  tinsel,  tail  red  parrot,  teal,  and  yellow  macaw  ; 
body,  yellow,  orange,  scarlet  and  claret  pig's  wool,  dressed 
spare  ;  gold  thread  double  ;  grouse  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wings, 
red  wild  turkey,  one  topping  over,  hook  6  to  10. 

"  Another  good  one  is  a  claret  body,  with  blue  hackle  on 
shoulder,  grey  mallard  wing,  or  teal  for  small  sizes. 


26o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

"  The  following  eccentricity  is  reckoned  excellent  as  a 
change,  and  I  know  it  does  good  work. 

"  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  topping  ;  body,  half  yellow,  half 
pea-green  pig's  wool,  dressed  spare  ;  gold  tinsel ;  green  hackle 
over  green  pig's  wool ;  grouse  at  shoulder ;  wings,  brown 
mallard  ;  between  which  a  bright  blue  hackle  ;  over  them  one 
topping  ;  head,  black  ostrich.  Hook  8  to  9.  About  as  ugly  a  fly 
as  you  will  find. 

"  The  upper  waters  of  the  Cree  and  the  Minnick  are  pro- 
tected, but  the  lower  and  better  part  is  netted.  The  Bladenoch 
is  preserved  by  an  association,  but  the  Luce  is  terribly  netted  ; 
the  j&sh  slaps  are  sometimes  built  up,  and  in  short  a  general 
state  of  neglect  and  ignorance  of  what  is  law  prevails.  As  to 
the  stake  netting  in  the  Solway,  into  which  these  rivers 
debouch,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  the  Scotch  shore  fairly  bristle 
with  nets  ;  it  is  a  marvel  fish  get  through  and  up  at  all. 

"  There  are  other  streams  in  Ayrshire  and  up  the  West  coast, 
which  have  their  peculiar  flies,  but  were  you  to  notice  all  the 
rivers,  your  book  would  swell  to  two  or  three  volumes  on 
salmon  alone,  which  I  presume  is  not  your  intention. 

"^Herbert  Maxwell." 

Mr.  Maxwell  very  kindly  subsequently  sent  me  the  follow- 
ing :— 

"  Add  to  the  Minnick  flies  for  a  low  bright  water  the  follow- 
ing, known  as  the  "  Dusty  Miller." 

"  Tag,  silver  tinsel,  dark  olive  floss ;  tail,  one  topping ;  butt, 
black  ostrich  ;  body,  embossed  silver  timsel,  gold  thread ; 
dark  olive  hackle,  gallina  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  gold  pheasant 
tail,  mallard,  teal,  green  parrot  and  lavender  swan,  jungle  cock 
at  cheek;  head  black.    Hook  9  to  11.    (Plate  XIX,  Fig.  2.) 

THE   AYRSHIRE   STINCHAR 

"  Is  a  fine  water  ;  if  the  nets  were  off,  I  doubt  not  it  would  be 
the  best  in  the  West.  The  nets  are,  I  believe,  to  be  regulated  in 
future,  by  the  proprietor.  Lord  Stair,  a  keen  fisher.  I  have 
never  fished  it,  but  he  told  me  the  other  day  he  had  four  fish, 
weight  seventy-six  pounds.  Large  Dee  flies  are  used  there, 
and  a  curious  dun  turkey,  with  a  second  pair  of  wings  half-way 
down  the  body."* 

*  The  plan  is  common  on  the  Tay,  and  is  employed  when  very  long  hooks 
are  used,  and  when  the  fly  dresser  has  not  any  feathers  by  him  long  enough 
in  the  fibre  to  make  the  wing.  He  then  takes  two  short  fibres,  and  by  allow- 
ing one  to  overlap  the  other  the  requisite  effect  is  produced. — F.  F. 


DUMFRIESHIRE  RIVERS  261 

Mr.  J.  Dalrymple  Hay  also  sent  me  patterns  and  descrip- 
tions of  flies  in  the  Luce,  but  the  only  one  which  Mr.  Maxwell 
had  not  already  sent,  is  thus  described  : — 

Drake  wing  *  (light),  red  and  black  body,  with  brown  hackle, 
and  Mr.  Hay  adds,  "  I  have  seen  a  jungle  cock  feather  do  well 
in  heavy  water  late  in  the  season." 

THE   ANNAN   AND    NITH 

The  following  four  patterns  for  the  Annan  were  sent  me 
since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  published,  by  Mr. 
Rowell,  the  fishing-tackle  maker  of  St.  Alban's  Row,  Carhsle, 
who  is  the  purveyor  of  all  angling  requisites  for  that  district. 
They  are  nicely  tied,  and  look  decidedly  bloodthirsty. 

No.  I  Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  some  sprigs  from  the  saddle 
feathers  of  gold  pheasant ;  body  very  rough  pig's  wool,  a  sort 
of  orange-brown  at  tail,  merging  into  more  and  more  brown, 
until  it  is  dark  bear's-brown  at  shoulder  ;  coch  y  bondu  hackle, 
with  plenty  of  black  at  the  butt ;  for  the  shoulder  medium  gold 
tinsel ;  wings,  two  slips  of  grey  drake  under,  and  two  of  light 
dun  turkey  over. 

No.  2  is  very  much  the  same,  only  the  body  is  a  trifle  yellower 
at  the  tail ;  the  tail  is  made  of  tippet  sprigs,  and  the  body  is 
not  so  deep  a  brown  at  the  shoulders.  The  under  wing  is  of 
peacock,  not  too  bright,  and  the  upper  of  dark  dun  turkey. 

No.  3.  Tail  and  hackle,  as  in  No.  i  ;  body,  bright  medium 
brown  throughout ;  wing,  peacock  brownish  at  the  butt.  All 
these  flies  are  rough,  and  well  picked  out  with  medium  fine 
gold  twist,  the  hooks  being  7  and  8. 

No.  4  is  a  floss  silk  body  ;  tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  black  par- 
tridge or  teal,  and  some  saddle  feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ; 
body  lower  half  yellow,  incUning  to  orange,  upper  half  dark 
medium  blue  ;  hackle  coch  y  bondu,  blue  jay  at  shoulder ; 
silver  tinsel ;  wing  mixed  pintail  and  teal ;  tippet  (dyed  red) 
a  sword  feather,  slips  of  claret  and  orange  swan,  with  a  good 
deal  of  golden  pheasant  tail  over  all.  Hook  No.  5.  No  heads 
to  these  flies. 

And  I  had  a  note  from  Mr.  Maxwell  with  respect  to  the 
Annan  and  Nith,  from  which  I  extract  the  following  : — 

"  Captain  Stewart  tells  me  that  he  always  uses  the  different 
varieties  of  dun  and  white  tip  turkey  and  brown  mallard  as 
dressed  by  Jamie  Wright,  of  Sprouston  (see  Tweed  flies),  that 

♦  Pintail,  or  the  lighter  mallard  feathers. — F.  F. 


262  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

prince  of  dressers  for  Scottish  waters.  Also  the  Butcher 
(P-  252),  and  a  fly  dressed  as  follows  : — ^Tag,  silver  tinsel ; 
tail,  onr  topping  and  red  Indian  crow,  or  tuft  of  floss  silk  ; 
body,  li;i)f  U.mon  yellow,  luilf  black  inobair  or  pig's  wool, 
according  to  size  of  fly;  cocb  y  bondn  liackle,  willi  black  at 
shoulder  ;  mix(xl  wing,  of  mallard,  t(;al,  ycjllow  and  hi,vcnder 
swan,  and  plenty  of  red  macaw,  with  or  without  small  tippet 
under,  and  topping  over  wing  ;   be;id,  binck  lierl. 

"  But  the  speciality  of  both  th(;s(;  waters  is  the  dun  wing, 
size  from  6  to  12,  according  to  the  season." 

THE   AHERnEENSHIRE   DEE 

There  are  many  Dees  in  the  kingdom,  two  noted  ones  in 
Scotland,  and  one  famous  river  in  Enghind  Jind  Wales.  That 
which  I  here  refer  to  is  the  chief  one,  or  Wui  Ab(;rdecnshire 
Dec.  It  is  almost  a  pattern  river  for  the  skilful  salmon-fisher, 
but  will  not  admit  of  being  fished  by  a  muff ;  in  fact,  it  is  by 
no  means  an  easy  river  to  fish.  The  lower  reaches,  as  on  the 
Conon,  are  not  good  rising  ground,  as  the  snlmon  nm  through 
and  rise  badly  while  resting-  the  Aboyne  water  p(!i  l)aj)s  b(;ing 
the  cream  of  the  Dee.*  The  casts  are  rapid  rough  streams  and 
often  heavy,  but  it  is  perhaps  one  of  Ihe  chjan^st  streams  in 
Scotl.ind.  The  flies  used  are  peculiar,  and  the  local  ones  are 
of  litlle  us(^  c)fi  any  otlier  river  in  Scotland,  save,  fx'rliaps,  a 
small  size  of  the  (iled  Wing,  or  the  Tartan,  which  may  be  used 
for  the  Don.  The  flies  are  tisually  large,t  but  slenderly  dressed, 
being  incnnt  lo  c:.\\<  li  llu  salmon's  rye,  T  prestune,  in  <he  de(*p 
rough  walrr,  whi(  li  ■\  mill  (ly  would  nol,  and  not  to  frighli'U 
him,  which  loogm  (  /".sy!)  an  imi)osilion  perhaps  might  do. 
Some  of  the  flies  iis<  d,  .1:.  Ihe  ICagle  (local  "  aigle  "  ;  and  Uvjv 
I  may  say  that  the  Aberdec^nshire  dialect  is  the  worst  and  mosl 
noUHinderslandablf*  In  1  hiiigcr  of  any  in  Scotland;  for, 
thongh  tolerably  <'xpt  I  KIM  <«l,  I  ru^ver  conhl  understand  hall 
my  gilii'  III  when  they  were  conversationally  inclined  during 
my  vi'  ii  iIm  k  )  I  ay,  the  "  aigle  "  is  little  more  marvellous 
as  a  fly  III. Ill  Mm  Ii  .Let  is  as  a  dialect,  and  if  we  might  liken 
»om«!  Ill*     lo    liiiiii|.    ind  prawns,  and  others  to  butterflies  and 

♦  TliifMlofi  iio(  ;i);h  ('  Willi  in  V  ox|KM  i«Mi(  r.  If  I  IkkI  my  <:lu>i(;(M)f  ihe  wlioln 
rlvnr,  I  would  (i>l<i  Hu'  (  fiiniloii  or  llir  Woodfiifj'"  W{iI<m,  uikI  i'xrrllfni  Hj)ort 
In  oflcMi  IwKJ  lowri  <Iowm  «ui  (he  l*Mik  niid  DunJH  waloiH.  Htit  ih(i  l)(5c  in  a 
louK  livf'i  mid  iiiiioli  dnppiidM  uprm  wluMo  ilic  ofirly  fi«li  rrst  lirBt  after  leaving 
the  sea,     ICi). 

t    For  Hprlng  llHhing ;  but  in  Hummer  exceedingly  Hmall  llioii  aroused. — 


PLATK  XV. 


To  face  Page  363 


SALMON  FLIES. 

1.  The  Brauly  Snow  Fly. 

2.  The  Black  Dog. 

3.  The  Purple  King. 


THE  ABERDEENSHIRE  DEE  263 

dragon-flies,  the  Eagle  completely  knocks  all  such  possibilities 
on  the  head,  as  it  is  like  nothing  on,  over,  or  under  the  earth. 
The  Dee  flies  are  dressed  upon  hooks  specially  made  for  them  : 
these  are  very  long  in  the  shank,  with  the  Limerick  bend.  The 
large  class  of  flies  run  from  about  No.  2  in  the  given  scale, 
down  to  No.  6,  but  with  this  condition  :  the  shank  of  the  hook 
which  represents  the  No.  2  size  of  bend  is  just  an  inch  longer 
for  the  Dee  flies,  while  that  of  No.  6  is  an  inch  and  a  half,  the 
intermediate  ones  being  of  proportionate  length.  For  smaller 
flies,  ordinary  Limerick  hooks  are  used,  even  down  to  an 
ordinary  No.  7.  or  8  hook. 

The  Gled  Wing  or  Red  Wing,  as  it  is  termed,  is  perhaps  the 
most  useful  of  the  local  flies.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  gold 
pheasant  saddle  ;  body,  one-third  orange-yellow,  and  two- 
thirds  claret,  or  light  purple  claret  mohair,  dressed  very 
sparely  ;  broadish  silver  tinsel  laid  on  rather  thinly  and  in 
long  spirals  ;  black  heron's  hackle  of  the  largest  size,  or  two 
if  one  will  not  go  far  enough,  dressed  down  to  the  yellow 
mohair.  They  must  be  of  the  longest  fibre,  the  longer  the 
better  ;  teal  hackle  on  the  shoulder,  without  which  no  Dee 
fly  is  thought  complete  ;  wings,  two  good  strips  of  swallow- 
tailed  gled  of  the  largest  fibre,  or  of  red  dun  turkey  of  the  like 
colour.  Of  course,  these  feathers  must  be  of  thin  substance 
and  fine  in  the  fibre,  to  give  them  play,  and  they  are  to  be 
set  apart — a  rather  nice  operation  to  do  neatly,  the  strips 
requiring  to  be  carefully  prepared  first  by  tying  in  at  the 
extreme  butt ;  no  head,  as  it  is  thought  to  cause  a  ripple,  while 
the  sharp  head  of  the  regular  Dee  fly  cuts  the  water  with  a 
smooth  even  gUding  motion,  opening  and  shutting  its  large 
fibres  with  most  life-like  appearance. 

The  Tartan  (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  2,  p.  269)  is  a  strange-looking 
fly  and  is  rather  a  troublesome  fly  to  dress.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ; 
tail,  gold  pheasant  rump  ;  body,  half  orange  and  half  scarlet- 
red  mohair  laid  on  sparely,  of  course  ;  broadish  gold  tinsel 
also  spare  ;  hackle,  first  a  stripped  sandy-red  cock's  hackle 
(that  is,  only  one  side  of  it  to  be  used,  the  other  being  stripped 
off),  and  on  top  of  this,  the  large  blue-grey  hackle  or  feather 
from  the  heron's  back  and  rump  ;  the  larger  the  better,  they 
cannot  be  too  large,  as  when  the  hackle  is  laid  on,  the  fibres 
are  expected  to  extend  from  the  very  head  to  the  farthest  bend 
of  the  hook.  It  is  an  awkward  feather  to  lay  on,  as  are  all 
heron's  hackles,  being  very  delicate.  It  should  be  tied  in,  to 
commence  from  as  low  down  as  it  can  be  conveniently  tied. 


264  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

so  as  to  leave  enough  for  a  good  thick  brush  from  the  head. 
If  in  winding  on  the  hackle,  any  of  the  red  hackle  fibres  under 
it  be  wound  in,  they  must  be  picked  out  afterwards  with  the 
needle,  and  put  in  their  proper  position.  At  the  shoulder,  a 
teal  hackle  of  course.  Wings,  two  strips  of  silver-grey  mottled 
turkey  (the  small  mottled  feather)  ;  these  feathers  are  not 
easy  to  get.  When  this  fiy  is  finished,  and  before  it  is  properly 
pressed  down  into  shape,  it  looks  like  an  enormous  spider,  or 
daddy  longlegs  ;  it  certainly  is  a  monstrosity,  though,  after  all, 
not  such  a  monstrosity  as 

The  Eagle. — ^There  are  two  Eagles,  the  grey  and  yellow. 
The  yellow  is  simply  the  same  feather  as  the  grey,  only  dyed 
of  a  bright  canary  yellow  ;  indeed,  I  believe,  in  the  evening, 
the  "  yalley  aigle  '*  is  the  favourite,  and  is  the  more  effective 
fly  of  the  two.  The  tail,  body,  etc.,  are  precisely  similar  to 
those  of  the  gled  wing  ;  a  quantity  of  the  down  or  fluffy  part 
of  the  golden  eagle's  feather — the  part  on  and  above  the  thigh 
is,  I  fancy,  the  best — is  then  wound  on  like  a  hackle,  till  the  fly 
looks  like  the  butt  end  of  a  largish  eagle's  feather  itself ;  on 
the  shoulder  is  of  course  the  invariable  teal  hackle  ;  wings, 
two  broadish  strips  of  silver  grey  turkey  ;  the  large  mottled 
or  broad  striped  and  banded  feather  being  selected. 

The  above  are  local  flies,  but  a  claret  body  and  hackle,  with 
mixed  wings  of  long  brown  turkey,  argus,  and  bustard  feathers, 
with  a  gold  pheasant  sword  feather  in  the  midst,  does  well  also, 
as  does  the  black  body  and  silver  tinsel,  with  gallina  shoulder 
and  mixed  wing. 

Most  of  these  flies  are  from  Mr.  Brown's  patterns,  the  well- 
known  tackle  maker  of  Aberdeen,  the  inventor  of  the  phantom 
minnow.    He  dresses  them  as  few  others  can. 


THE   DON 

The  Don  debouches  a  very  short  distance  from  the  Dee, 
but  no  two  rivers  can  well  be  more  dissimilar.  The  Dee  running 
through  the  wildest  moorland  and  mountain  scenery,  and  hav- 
ing no  trout  in  it  worth  notice,  and  the  Don  running  through 
beautiful  pastoral  and  well  tilled  districts,  and  looking  more 
like  a  Hampshire  than  a  Highland  salmon  stream,  and  con- 
taining perhaps  as  fine  trout  as  any  river  in  Scotland.  Yet  the 
salmon  seem  to  like  very  similar  flies  ;  a  small  reduction  in 
point  of  size  being  made.  The  Don  flies  are  not  so  large  as 
those  for  the  Aberdeen  Dee,  though  after  the  same  fashion. 


PLATE  XV 


Fij4. 


To/ace  Page  265. 

SALMON  FLIES. 
\.     The  Gordon.  2      The  Sir  Herbert. 

3.     The  Wilkinson.  4.     The  Mar  Lodge. 


THE  DON  AND  THE  DEVERON  265 

Indeed,  smallish  Dee  flies  are  fair  sized  Don  flies  ;  and,  as  on 
the  Dee,  the  Gled  Wings  and  Tartans  are  standard  flies  on  Don, 
and  are  varied  by  using  brown  or  grey  mallard  wings.  Beyond 
these  are — 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  a  few  fibres  of  gold  pheasant's 
rump  and  a  small  tuft  of  yellow  crewel ;  butt,  black  ostrich 
herl ;  body,  black  pig's  wool ;  silver  twist ;  hackle,  black  with 
bule  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wings,  gled  or  dun  turkey  strips.  Size 
7  to  10. 

No.  2.  Tag,  tail,  and  butt  as  before;  body,  about  two-fifths 
dark  red  and  three-fifths  dark  blue  pig  ;  hackle  (only  at 
shoulder)  light  blue,  and  over  it  a  short  grouse  hackle ;  wings, 
strips  of  the  red  of  dun  turkey  feather  speckled  with  black. 
Size  7  to  10. 

No.  3.  Tag  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  tuft  of  orange  crewel ;  body, 
two-thirds  orange  and  one-third  black  pig  ;  narrow  gold  tinsel ; 
hackle  (only  half-way  down),  a  large  coch  y  bondu  hackle,  with 
well  marked  centre ;  wings,  strips  of  grey  mallard  with 
brownish  points.    Size  9  to  11. 

No.  4.  Tail,  a  few  fibres  of  gold  pheasant  rump  ;  body  half 
yellow  and  half  medium  red  pig's  wool ;  gold  twist ;  hackle 
only  half-way  down,  a  small  black  heron's  hackle,  just  long 
enough  in  the  fibre  to  cover  the  point,  and  barb  ;  wings,  grey 
mallard  as  before,  with  a  trifle  more  brown  at  the  tip.  Size 
9  to  II. 

No.  5.  Tail,  a  small  topping  ;  body,  purple  claret  pig's  wool ; 
silver  twist ;  hackle,  black  heron  dressed  spare,  and  only  on 
the  shoulder,  but  longer  in  the  fibre  than  the  bend  of  the  hook  ; 
wings,  two  strips  of  gled  or  red  turkey. 

No.  6.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  small  bit  of  topping  ;  body, 
brown-orange  mohair ;  gold  tinsel ;  blue  heron's  hackle, 
fibres  to  extend  to  about  the  bend  of  the  hook  ;  wings,  two 
strips  of  bright  speckled  grey  turkey.  Size  9  to  11.  Patterns 
from  Mr.  Brown,  of  Aberdeen. 

THE  DEVERON 

Nos.  3,  4,  5  and  6  of  the  Don  flies  last  described  are  standard 
patterns  also  for  the  Deveron.    Patterns  from  Mr.  Brown. 

THE   NESS 

The  Ness  is  a  large  and  heavy  river  issuing  from  a  very 
large  lake.  Loch  Ness,  which  is  fed  by  several  good  salmon 
streams,  of  which  the  Garry  is  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy. 


266  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  Garry  is  an  excellent  early  spring  river,  whereas  the  Ness, 
through  which  all  the  Garry  fish  run,  is  but  an  indifferent  one. 
The  Ness  is  a  fair  summer  river,  and  also  gives  plenty  of  grilse 
and  large  sea  trout  to  the  rod — later  on,  the  salmon  run  of  the 
largest  size.  The  streams  and  pools  on  the  Ness  are  remarkably 
fine  and  bold.  The  casts  are  mostly  fished  from  a  boat,  though, 
in  places,  they  can  be  fished  from  the  shore. 

For  so  large  a  river  as  the  Ness,  the  flies  used  are  very  small. 
One  of  the  best  killers,  which  I  found  to  answer  on  the  Ness 
better  than  any  fly  I  could  dress  or  obtain,  was  an  old  Thurso 
pattern  which  I  obtained  from  Mr.  Dunbar  years  ago.  I  had 
three  of  them,  and  they  had  lain  in  my  book  for  years  without 
being  used  ;  but  if  you  keep  a  fly  long  enough,  it  is  sure  to  come 
in  useful  at  last.  Johnnie  Macdonald  "  joost  hked  the  look 
o'  'em,"  and  I  joost  took  Johnnie's  "  adveece,"  and  I  did  well 
with  them  when  I  distinctly  failed  with  other  flies.  They  had 
been  dressed  small,  I  conclude  for  very  young  and  late  patterns, 
if  they  were  meant  for  the  Thurso. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping 
and  tippet  sprigs  ;  but,  pale  blue  ostrich  herl ;  body,  two 
turns  of  light  blue-green  floss  ;  yellowish  olive-green  pig's 
wool,  with  a  bit  of  orange  at  shoulder  ;  silver  tinsel ;  bright 
claret  hackle  ;  wing,  a  tippet  and  saddle  feather,  gold  pheasant 
tail,  and  a  good  bit  of  wood-duck  on  either  side. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel,  lemon  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
body,  yellow  one- third,  the  rest  dark  red  (almost  claret)  pig's 
wool ;  silver  tinsel ;  medium  blue  mohair  tied  on  in  locks  at 
the  shoulder  for  hackle,  grouse  hackle  over  it ;  under  wing, 
a  small  tippet  feather,  over,  strips  of  bustard,  peacock,  pintail, 
and  dark  orange-yellow  swan.    A  very  good  fly. 

No.  3.  The  Denison  is  said  to  kill  well  at  times  there,  and  as 
the  Speaker's  brother,  who  is  the  godfather  to  it,  is  a  very 
successful  fisherman  there,  we  may  conclude  that  the  informa- 
tion is  pretty  accurate.  Tag,  one  turn  of  silver  twist,  ditto  of 
claret,  and  ditto  of  yellow  floss ;  tail,  one  topping,  and  a  slip 
of  wood-duck ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  one  half  silver 
thread,  and  the  other  fight  blue  floss  ;  silver  twist ;  hackle, 
light  blue  (only  down  to  the  silver),  blue  jay  at  the  shoulder. 
So  far  the  fly  is  a  compromise  between  the  two  Doctors.  The 
wing,  however,  is  peculiar,  having  a  greasy  look  from  the  two 
gold  pheasant  rump  feathers  in  it.  Imprimis,  two  tippet 
feathers,  with  a  jungle  cock  on  either  side  as  long  as  the  hook, 
over  these  again  two  gold  pheasant  rump  feathers  (same  size 


I 


NESS  FLIES  267 

as  the  tippet),  one  topping  over  all ;  blue  macaw  ribs  and 
black  head.  It  is  a  showy  fly,  but  I  would  banish  the  rump 
feathers,  and  use  doubled  jungle  cock  instead.  I  think  it 
would  be  quite  as  attractive,  and  would  lose  that  greasy  look, 
which  I  do  not  admire. 

No.  4.  This  is  also  a  capital  fly  on  the  Ness  or  anywhere 
else  ;  it  is  a  nice  warm  fly  and  a  favourite  of  mine.  Tag,  gold 
tinsel  and  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ;  body,  orange-yellow, 
merging  into  distinct  orange,  and  that  again  into  a  red-brown 
or  burnt  sienna  at  the  shoulder,  some  of  it  to  be  picked  out  at 
the  breast ;  grouse  hackle  only  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  sprigs  of 
pintail,  bustard,  peacock,  and  tippet,  one  topping  over. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  blue  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  three  turns  of  gold-coloured  floss, 
the  rest  bright  yellow  pig's  wool ;  silver  tinsel ;  orange-yellow 
hackle  over  the  wool  only,  with  a  light  purple  claret  at  shoulder; 
mixed  wing  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  pintail,  galhna  fibres,  red, 
yellow  and  orange  swan  fibres,  kingfisher  cheeks,  and  blue 
macaw  ribs. 

No.  6.  Tail,  one  topping  ;  body  half  yellow  and  half  lightish 
medium  blue  pig's  wool ;  silver  twist  medium  blue  hackle 
(only  over  blue  wool),  grouse  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  one 
tippet  feather  and  strips  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  bustard  and 
pintail  over  it ;  a  few  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  sword  feather 
for  ribs.  This  is  also  a  capital  general  fly  ;  the  body  is  some- 
what like  one  of  the  Conon  bodies.  The  same  fly,  with  pea- 
green  pig's  wool  and  hackle  makes  a  good  change. 

No.  7.  Tag,  silver  tinsel,  and  one  turn  of  ruby  floss  ;  tail, 
one  topping  ;  body,  orange  merging  to  brown,  and  that  into 
blue  pig's  wool,  dressed  roughish  ;  hackle,  darkish  medium 
blue  only  at  shoulder  ;  silver  tinsel ;  wing,  a  tippet  feather, 
and  slips  of  brown  mallard  and  pintail  over  it,  two  short  pea- 
green  parrot  feathers  over  the  butts  of  these  feathers;  blue 
macaw  ribs. 

No.  8.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss ;  butt,  black  ostrich ; 
body,  gold  coloured  floss  three  turns,  black  mohair ;  silver 
tinsel ;  black  hackle,  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  slices  of 
yellow  and  orange  swan,  brown  and  grey  mallard  and  gold 
pheasant  tail,  a  few  sprigs  of  tippet,  one  topping  over  all ; 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  kingfisher  at  either  cheek.  This  is  also  a 
capital  fly  for  the  Shin. 

The  above  patterns,  with  an  exception  or  two,  are  from  the 
selection  of  my  worthy  gossip  Snowie,  of  Inverness. 


268  '  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

No.  9.  The  Highlander. — I  have  included  this  fly  in  the  list 
of  Ness  flies,  though  I  think  it  is  better  for  the  Carron  and  some 
of  the  Rosshire  rivers  than  the  Ness.  It  is  the  best  fly  you  can 
put  on  the  Carron.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  gold  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  gold-coloured  floss,  nearly 
half  up  the  body  for  a  small  fly  ;  if  large,  a  few  turns  of  silk 
and  thin  yellow  pig's  wool,  above  this  dirty  olive-green  mo- 
hair ;  silver  tinsel ;  pea-green  hackle  from  tail  to  head,  blue 
jay  at  shoulder  ;  wings,  sprigs  of  tippet  gold  pheasant  tail 
and  mallard,  with  pintail  over,  doubled  jungle  cock  on  either 
side,  and  over  all  a  topping ;  black  head.  (Plate  XVIII,  Fig.  2.) 

The  two  Doctors  and  the  Popham  are  often  used  with 
advantage,  and  the  Claret  and  the  Highlander  may  be  found 
useful  at  times. 

The  Ness  flies  are  usually  small,  not  larger  than  grilse  flies, 
and  even  in  heavy  water  a  very  moderate  sized  fly  is  sufficient. 
They  run  from  6  or  7  to  10  or  11. 


THE   CONON 

The  Conon  is  a  large  river  which  has  some  capital  tributaries, 
the  best  of  which,  perhaps,  is  the  Blackwater,  which  for  its 
length  is  usually  very  well  stocked  with  fish.  The  upper  parts 
of  the  Conon  are  very  pretty  and  tempting,  containing  fine 
streams  and  good  pools,  but  the  lower  reaches  are  heavy  and 
dull.  The  fish  for  the  most  part  run  through  them  without 
resting  long,  and  while  they  do  rest  rise  but  indifferently. 

Here  are  three  flies  for  the  Conon,  all  of  which  are  first-rate 
general  flies  and  will  kill  anywhere. 

No.  I.  Tag,  two  turns  of  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  one  topping  and 
some  sprigs  of  tippet ;  body,  one  turn  of  bright  orange-brown 
pig's  wool,  continued  with  yellow  half-way  up,  and  the  re- 
maining half  with  medium  (inclining  to  light)  blue,  body, 
rough  and  well  picked  out ;  broadish  silver  tinsel ;  black 
hackle,  pretty  thick,  but  only  laid  on  at  the  shoulder ;  wing, 
bright  mottled  peacock,  with  a  shortish  jungle  cock  on  either 
side,  rather  better  than  half  the  length  of  the  wing. 

No.  2.  Tag,  tail,  and  body  as  before,  merely  changing 
black  pig's  wool  for  the  blue.  The  hackle  is  the  same,  but 
is  dressed  over  the  whole  of  the  black  wool  (or  half  the  body)  ; 
wing,  one  tippet,  with  bright  peacock  over  it,  short  jungle 
cock  on  either  side  as  before. 

No.  3.  Tag  and  tail  as  before.    Body,  oHve-yellow  changing 


PLATE  XVII. 


FcsZ 


To  face  Pag^e  269. 


SALMON  FLIES. 
1.     The  Brown  Ackroyd.  2.     The  Tartan. 

3.     The  Snow  Fly.  4.     The  Shannon, 


THE  LOCHY  AND  THE  THURSO  269 

into  dirty  orange,  and  that  again  into  a  purple  claret  at  the 
shoulder ;  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  from  tail  to  head  ; 
peacock  wing. 

The  size  of  these  flies  for  the  Conon  will  vary  from  medium 
salmon  down  to  small  grilse  size,  or  from  5  to  8  or  9. 

THE   LOCHY 

I  give  now  four  flies  for  the  Lochy.  The  Lochy  flies  should 
be  dressed  smaller  even  than  the  Ness,  not  much  above  sea 
trout  size.    These  patterns  are  from  Mr.  Farlow,  of  191  Strand. 

No.  1.  Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  a  topping  and  three  or  four 
sprigs  of  red  parrot ;  body,  two  turns  of  yellow,  ditto  of  red, 
and  the  rest  of  black  crewel ;  gold  tinsel ;  a  black  hackle  only 
at  the  shoulder,  with  a  blue  jay  over  it ;  under  wing,  tippet 
with  slips  of  brown  mallard  over,  mixed  wood-duck  and  gallina 
outside  of  that ;  blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping, 
a  few  sprigs  of  tippet  and  wood-duck  mixed  ;  butt,  peacock 
herl ;  body,  pale  blue  silk  ;  fine  silver  thread  doubled  ;  lightish 
red  claret  hackle  from  butt  to  head,  two  turns  of  blue  jay  on 
shoulder  ;  wing,  gold  pheasant  tail  and  tippet  sprigs  mixed 
Ughtish  mallard  and  gallina  over  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  ruby  silk  ;  tail,  sprigs  of  tippet 
black  partridge,  or,  faihng  in  that,  a  bit  of  dark  teal  and  gallina 
mixed  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  blue,  and 
two  of  ruby  floss,  the  rest  of  a  dirty  orange,  or  olive-yellow 
floss  ;  gold  thread  doubled  ;  olive  hackle  (down  to  ruby 
floss),  grouse  hackle  on  shoulder ;  wing,  a  strip  of  dark,  almost 
black  turkey,  with  light  tippet  over  that,  sprigs  off  tippet, 
bustard,  bright  red  and  yellow  gallina  over  that,  and  mallard 
above  that ;  blue  macaw  ribs  and  black  head. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  yellow 
toucan  feather ;  body,  dark  mulberry  floss ;  gold  tinsel ; 
brown  claret  hackle,  grouse  hackle  on  shoulder ;  wing,  same 
as  No.  3  ;  head  black. 

THE  THURSO 

The  Thurso  is  one  of  the  best  early  spring  rivers  in  Scotland, 
and  seldom  fails  in  yielding  sport.  It  is  not  a  large  river,  but 
is  fed  by  several  small  lakes.  It  is  extremely  prolific,  but 
rather  a  dull  dead  stream,  is  perfectly  open,  devoid  of  high 
banks,  and  easy  to  fish.    For  all  these  reasons  it  is  a  capital 


i^7o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

river  to  enter  a  green  hand  on,  or  for  those  who  are  not  equal 
to  much  fatigue,  or  to  whom  wading  is  tabooed.  The  flies  for 
it  should  be  dressed  on  good-sized  hooks ;  the  middle  sizes, 
not  so  large  as  Dee  and  Tay  hooks,  nor  so  small  as  Ness  flies, 
being  preferable.  These  patterns  are  also  from  Farlow's  ;  the 
fish  having  undergone  a  complete  change^in  their  tastes  since 
I  was  there ;  for  when  I  was  there  they  preferred  a  sober 
coloured  fly,  but  of  late  years  they  prefer  more  showy  ones.*, 

The  Dhoon  Fly. — ^This  was  originally  a  Mahseer  fly  used 
in  the  Himalayas.  How  it  came  to  be  adopted  here  I  cannot 
say,  but  it  kills  on  one  or  two  other  rivers,  particularly  in  spring 
on  the  Welsh  Wye,  where  it  is  called  the  Canary.  Tag,  gold 
tinsel  and  ruby  floss ;  tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl ; 
body,  in  four  joints,  of  bright  yellow  floss ;  at  every  joint  a 
large  wad  of  bright  yellow  wool  is  tied  in  for  a  hackle,  and 
left  very  long  and  bushy  ;  j  in  the  two  lower  joints  it  is  yellow 
wool,  the  upper  two  bright  orange-yellow  pig's  wool,  very  long 
and  bushy  ;<  gold  twist  ;l  hackle  at  shoulder  yellow,  and  over 
it  an  orange  hackle ;]  wings,  two  big  strips  of  bright  orange 
(dyed  swan)  feather,  two  good  long^kingfisher  or  chatterer 
feathers  at  the  cheeks  ;  head  black. 

The  Duke  of  Sutherland. — ^Tag,  silver  twist  and  gold- 
coloured  floss'^;j  tail,  one  topping,  some  tippet  sprigs  with 
green  and  red  parrot ;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl ;  body,  burnt 
sienna  floss  and  bright  medium  green  f  (two  turns  of  each), 
the  rest  of  pig's  wool  of  the  same  colour  ;  hackle,  ditto,  ditto, 
with  orange-yellow  hackle  on  the  shoulder ;  gold  twist  and 
silver  tinsel ;  under  wing,  two  tippet  feathers,  upper  wing, 
strips  of  bustard  and  gold  pheasant  tail,  over  them  sprigs  of 
yellow-green  swan,  one  topping,  with  Himalayan  pheasant 
back  feather  (that  with  the  white  spot  on  it)  on  either  cheek  ; 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  and  black  head. 

Sir  Francis  Sykes. — ^Tag,  silver  twist  and  blue  floss  ;  tail, 
one  topping  and  sprigs  of  teal  and  blue  macaw ;  body,  dark 
cinnamon-brown  ;  hackle  of  the  same  colour ;  silver  twist 
doubled ;  wing,  mixed  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  bustard,  tippet, 
wood-duck,  blue,  red,  yellow,  and  green  swan  sprigs  ;  red  head. 

The  Priest. — This  is  a  good  general  fly,  kilUng  well  in  many 
parts  of  Ireland.  Tag,  gold  twist  and  dark  blue  floss  ;  tail, 
a  topping  and  pale  red  ibis  or  flamingo ;  butt,  black  obtrich ; 

*  At  least  the  fishers  do  1 — Ed. 

t  By  medium  I  mean  that  it  is  neither  a  decidedly  yellow  nor  a  decidedly 
blue-green,  but  strictly  medium. — F.  F. 


THE  LAXFORD  271 

body,  three  turns  of  orange  floss,  the  rest  dirty  olive-brown 
mohair ;  gold  tinsel  and  silver  twist ;  hackle,  golden  oHve, 
medium  blue  at  shoulders  ;  wing,  dark  turkey,  or  cock  pheasant 
tail,  over  that  fibres  of  bustard,  and  bright  bastard  bustard, 
brown  mallard  and  a  plentiful  admixture  of  green  swan  sprigs  ; 
head  red. 

Switching  Sandy. — ^Tag,  silver^tinsel  and  Hght  orange-red 
floss;  tail,  a  topping  and  tippet  sprigs;  butt,  black  ostrich 
herl ;  body,  three  turns  of  dark  blue  floss,  two  of  yellow-green 
floss,  the  rest  of  rather  a  blue-green  wool ;  gold  tinsel ;  Ught 
yellow-green  hackle  with  a  darker  blue-green  on  shoulder  ; 
wing,  gold  pheasant  tail,  the  same  dyed  pinkish,  shreds  of 
brown  mallard,  wood-duck  and  bastard  bustard,  blue  and 
yellow  green  swan  sprigs  ;  black  head.  The  body  and  hackle 
of  this  fly  are  so  Uke  the  Highlander,  that  it  will  be  found 
to  kill  on  the  Ness,  the  Carron,  the  Blackwater,  the  Garry, 
and  many  other  Ross  and  Sutherlandshire  rivers  ;  on  many 
of  these  rivers,  greens  are  in  favour  ;  other  very  favourite 
flies  for  Thurso  are,  the  Britannia,  the  Childers,  the  Namsen, 
the  Butcher,  and  Major.    Sizes  from  4  to  9  or  10. 

THE   LAXFORD 

Patterns  also  from  Farlow's. 

The  Lascelles. — Tag,  silver  twist,  and  lemon-yellow  floss  ; 
tail,  a  topping,  teal  and  mauve  macaw  sprigs;  butt,  black 
ostrich  herl ;  body,  half  lemon-yellow  floss,  and  half  pig's 
wool  of  the  same  colour  ;  silver  twist,  with  black  silk  beside  it, 
as  in  the  Colonel ;  hackle,  brown  claret  (this  is  what  I  con- 
sider fiery  brown,  only,  as  I  have  said,  I  fear  the  fate  of  Martin 
Kelly,  if  I  attempt  to  decide  this  awful  shade  of  mystery), 
speckled  gaUina  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  gold  pheasant  rump 
and  a  saddle  feather,  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  and  bastard 
bustard,  yellow  and  blue  sprigs,  with  a  few  fibres  of  gold 
pheasant  sword  feather,  over  all  a  good  slice  of  gallina  ;  head 
black.    Size  9  and  10. 

The  next  fly  has  no  name,  and  as  that  is  a  very  inconvenient 
hiatus,  particularly  as  it  would  be  a  capital  general  fly,  I  call  it. 

The  Laxford, — Tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  one  topping  ;  body, 
gold-coloured  floss  silk  ;  hackle,  bright  yellow  ;  silver  tinsel 
and  gold  twist ;  darkish  blue  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a 
lump  of  peacock,  over  it  sprigs  of  bustard  and  bastard  bustard, 
topping  over  all,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  Size  9 
and  10. 


272  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 


THE  AWE   AND   THE   ORCHY 

The  same  flies  are  used  on  both  these  rivers.  I  wrote  and 
asked  a  friend  to  obtain  patterns  for  me  if  possible,  and  he  got 
them  for  me  from  Colonel  Campbell,  of  Skipness,  whose  reputa- 
tion as  a  sportsman  is  only  second  to  his  fame  as  an  author  ; 
for  few,  if  any,  modern  books  of  sporting  adventures  can  com- 
pare in  point  of  general  interest  and  sportsmanlike  handhng 
with  the  Old  Forest  Ranger  and  My  Indian  Journal, 
both  of  which  are  the  productions  of  Colonel  Campbell's  pen. 
He  sends  four  flies. 

No.  I  is  almost  identical  with  No.  i  in  the  Conon  patterns  ; 
see  page  268.  It  is  a  common  favourite,  and  a  regular  trial 
horse  in  most  of  the  Highland  rivers.  The  only  difference  I 
can  discern  is,  that  the  turn  of  orange-brown  pig's  wool,  which 
commences  the  tail  end  of  the  fly,  is  transferred  to  the  shoulder 
and  the  colours  run  yellow,  blue,  and  orange.  The  jungle 
cock  is  also  wanting,  but  these  are  matters  of  no  moment. 
The  Colonel  says  of  this  fly,  this  is  "  the  old  legitimate  Orchy 
and  Awe  fly,  and  is  considered  a  '  great  medicine  '  by  the 
natives,  who  ignore  all  others.  It  is  a  good  fly,  and  is  used  of 
various  sizes,  according  to  the  state  of  the  water,  the  enclosed 
pattern  being  rather  above  the  medium  size  (the  enclosed 
pattern  was  what  I  should  call  a  largish  8  hook)  ;  but  I  have 
found  the  three  following  more  deadly  "  : — 

No.  2.  The  Indian  Crow. — ^This  fly  is  a  slight  variation  of  the 
Popham,  the  lower  joint  being  orange-yellow,  the  next  two 
light  blue  ;  the  hackle  light  blue  instead  of  jay  ;  silver  thread, 
the  joints  being  separated  by  black  ostrich  instead  of  peacock 
herl.  The  Colonel  says  of  this  fly  :  "  So-called  from  the  feathers 
of  the  Indian  crow  in  the  body.  I  tried  this  fly  for  the  first 
time  about  five  years  ago,  and  have  killed  with  it  and  the 
Butcher,  No.  3,  more  and  larger  fish  than  with  any  other — 
a  deadly  fly  in  any  river  on  which  I  have  tried  it." 

No.  3  is  the  Butcher ;  but  no  two  tyers  dress  the  Butcher 
alike,  and  in  this  one  the  claret  is  changed  to  bright  red,  the 
blue  is  medium,  the  claret  hackle  is  a  brown  olive,  with  a  turn 
of  jay  at  the  breast,  and  the  wing  is  mixed  of  tippet  and  gold 
pheasant  tail,  a  good  deal  of  bustard,  a  little  gallina,  blue, 
red,  and  yellow  swan,  a  topping  over  all,  and  a  pair  of  short 
jungle  cock  feathers  at  sides.  The  Colonel  says  :  "  Good  either 
on  the  Awe  or  the  Orchy  "  ;  and  he  adds,  "  the  water  being 


THE  AWE  AND  THE  ORCHY  273 

very  clear  both  in  the  Awe  and  Orchy,  single  gut  must  always 
be  used." 

No.  4.  The  Canary. — This  fly  is  more  often  called  the 
"  Goldfinch,"  and  I  mention  the  fact,  as  another  fly  has  already 
been  saddled  with  the  same  appellation.  I  have  given  one 
Goldfinch  dressing,  but  as  there  is  some  variety  in  this,  I  give 
the  Colonel's  as  well. 

Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  gold-coloured  floss ;  tail,  a  topping,  and 
short  yellow  toucan  feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  gold 
tinsel,  in  two  joints,  divided  by  two  turns  of  black  ostrich 
herl,  with  short  yellow  toucan  feathers,  tied  in  at  the  joints 
for  hackles,  as  in  the  fashion  of  the  Popham.  Those  at  the 
breast  increase  a  size  larger  of  course  ;  head,  black  ostrich  ; 
wings,  five  or  six  toppings,  with  blue  macaw  ribs.  Of  this, 
the  Colonel  says  :  "  Good  either  for  Awe  or  Orchy,  particularly 
when  the  water  is  low  "  ;  and  he  concludes,  "  the  above  four 
flies  are  the  only  ones  I  ever  use,  and  I  find  that  I  kill  as  many 
fish  as  my  neighbours,  sometimes  more  ;  when  they  fail  to 
start  a  fish  you  may  go  home." 

I  have  also  half  a  dozen  patterns  of  flies  for  the  Awe  from 
Malcolm  Macnicol,  of  Dalmally,  who  is  the  tyer  of  flies  for  all 
that  part  of  the  country.  Malcolm  is  a  first-rate  hand  either 
with  rod  and  gaff  or  dubbing  and  feather.  They  are  all  sober 
flies,  in  black  and  grey  coats. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  thread,  and  one  turn  of  orange  floss  ; 
tail,  a  small  topping  ;  body,  black  mohair  ;  black  hackle  ; 
medium  silver  tinsel ;  wings,  strips  of  silver-grey  mottled 
turkey,  or  in  default  a  bit  of  good  bright  peacock  might  do. 

No.  2  is  similar,  save  that  at  the  tail  end  of  the  body  there 
is  one  turn  of  light  yellow  mohair,  and  the  wings  are  strips  of 
bluish  black  from  a  heron's  wing. 

No.  3  consists  of  a  Blue  Doctor,  with  a  good-sized  Indian 
crow  feather  for  tail ;  body  and  hackle  darkish  shade  of  blue, 
and  a  silver-grey  mottled  turkey  or  peacock  wing. 

No.  4  is  very  much  of  a  Highlander  body  and  hackle.  The 
tag  is  silver  thread  and  blue  floss  ;  tail,  tippet  and  some  fibres 
from  a  claret  hackle  ;  body,  two  turns  of  yellow  pig's  wool, 
the  rest  of  darkish  pea-green  floss  ;  hackle,  lightish  yellow- 
green  ;  silver  tinsel ;  wing,  speckled  brown  turkey,  grey 
towards  the  tips. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  thread  ;  tail,  a  bit  of  orange  mohair 
and  teal ;  body,  two  turns  of  medium  pea-green  floss,  and  the 
rest  of  bright  medium  blue  mohair,  a  few  fibres  of  light  claret 


274  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

mohair  being  thrown  in  at  the  shoulder  ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle, 
light  claret ;  wings,  slips  of  black  heron. 

No.  6.  Tag,  silver  thread  ;  tail,  a  good-sized  Indian  crow 
feather  ;  body,  two  turns  of  yellow  pig's  wool,  the  rest  darkish 
blue  mohair,  with  a  pinch  of  fiery  red  pig's  wool  thrown  in  at 
the  shoulder  ;  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  ;  wing,  silver  grey 
mottled  turkey  or'peacock.    Hooks,^Nos.  y\nd^S. 


THE   GARRY  OF  LOCH  NESS 

This  is  a  spring  river,  and  requires  large  flies — Nos.  3  and  4. 
These  three  flies  are  sent  me  by  Mr.  Snowie  of  Inverness, 
who  is  the  best  authority  for  flies  upon  the  rivers  in  Inverness, 
Nairn,  Elgin,  Ross,  Sutherland,  and  Caithness. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  lemon  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping 
and  some  black  partridge;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl;  body, 
orange  floss,  three  or  four  turns,  dark  orange  pig's  wool 
(almost  red)  one-third,  a  lighter  and  browner  orange  for  the 
rest  of  the  body,  dressed  roughish,  and  picked  out ;  broad  silver 
tinsel  and  gold  twist ;  hackle,  bright  orange,  light  blue  on  the 
shoulders,  with  gallina  over  it ;  under  wing,  a  tippet  and  strips 
of  bustard,  peacock  and  gold  pheasant  tail  over  it,  a  sword 
feather  over  that,  and  topping  over  aU  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  a 
jungle  cock  feather  at  either  shoulder  ;  head,  black.  Dressed 
large  on  straight  hook. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  mulberry  and  gold-coloured  floss  ; 
tail,  a  topping,  and  some  sprigs  of  tippet  and  wood-duck ; 
butt,  black  ostrich  herl ;  body,  gold-coloured  floss  silk,  three 
or  four  turns,  and  mixed  medium  green  and  yellow  pig's  wool, 
the  green  predominating  ;  broad  silver  tinsel  and  gold  twist ; 
black  hackle,  gallina  (pretty  thick)  on  the  shoulder  ;  under 
wing,  a  tippet  feather  and  a  sword  feather,  with  strips  of  orange, 
yellow,  and  dark  claret-red  swan,  strips  of  gold  pheasant  tail, 
brown  mallard,  bustard  over  it  f  teal  on  either  shoulder, 
topping  over  all ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  blackhead.  '  ': 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  gold-coloured  floss ;  tail,  a 
topping  ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  one- third  gold-coloured 
floss,  the  rest  darkish  pig's  wool ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  black, 
bhie  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  slice  or  two  of  "gold  pheasant 
tippet,  two  or  three  slices  orange  swan,  strips  of  grey  mallard 
and'fgold  pheasant  tail,  doubled"^' jungle  cock  on"  either  side  ; 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  blackfhead.^^  There  is  another  capital  fly 
for  the  Garry  in  early  spring,  called 


r 


PLATE  XVIII. 


Tofaix  Page  27S. 

SALMON  FLIES. 
1.     The  Black  Ranger.  2.     The  Highlander. 

3.     The  Thunder  and  Lightning.  4.     The  Black  and  Teal. 


THE  SHIN  275 

The  Snow  Fly. — Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  ibis,  wood-duck, 
and  small  topping  ;  butt,  a  turn  or  two  of  black  wool ;  the 
body  is  in  four  joints,  and  is  composed  of  stout  silver  twist, 
at  every  joint  a  wad  of  pig's  wool  is  tied  in  and  picked  out ; 
this  at  the  first  joint  is  light  blue,  at  the  second,  medium 
claret,  at  the  third,  orange,  and  the  head  of  the  fourth  on  the 
shoulder  is  yellow,  this  is  picked  out  to  answer  for  a  hackle  : 
over  this  is  a  short  orange  hackle,  the  main  fibre  of  which 
is  well  covered  by  the  butt  of  the  wing  and  the  head,  which  latter 
is  of  blue  wool ;  the  wing  is  three  or  four  good  shoes  of  dark, 
almost  black  turkey,  with  light  (not  quite  white)  tips,  and  one 
topping  over  all.  It  will  be  seen,  if  examined,  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  composition  of  this  fly  which  can  be  cut.  The 
butt  is  of  wool  or  crewel,  as  is  also  the  head ;  the  body  is  almost 
solid  ;  the  pig's  wool  at  the  joints  may  be  chewed,  but  cannot 
be  destroyed.  The  only  hackle  is  at  the  shoulder,  and  that, 
as  I  have  said,  is  well  protected.  The  kelts  may  do  their 
worst  with  it.  It  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  impervious.  It  kills 
well  also  on  the  Helmsdale.  I  had  the  pattern  of  Farlow. 
As  it  is  only  for  heaw  spring  vraters  it  is  dressed  large.  (Plate, 
XVII,  Fig.  3.) 

THE   SHIN 

Is  a  very  fine  river,  often  showing  excellent  sport.  In  the 
spring  the  salmon  are  seldom  found  above  the  falls,  but  as  the 
summer  gets  on,  the  higher  reaches  become  better  stocked. 
This  river  was  for  many  years  in  the  hands  of  my  poor  old 
friend  Andrew  Young,  whose  name  is  so  well  known  in  the 
history  of  the  salmon.  Since  his  death  it  has  been  let  out  in 
rods. 

Patterns  from  Snowie. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
butt,  black  ostrich  herl;  body,  two  or  three  turns  of  gold- 
coloured  floss,  half  yellow  and  half  bright  claret-red  pig's 
wool ;  black  hackle,  light  claret  at  shoulder  ;  under  wing,  a 
tippet,  strips  of  peacock,  gold  pheasant  tail,  mallard,  peacock 
stained  pale  yellow  over  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;   topping  over  all. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  gold  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ; 
butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  one-third  gold  floss,  the  rest  light 
oHve-green  mohair  ;  silver  tinsel ;  black  hackle  ;  blue  jay  on 
shoulder  ;  under  wing,  two  short  gold  pheasant  saddle  feathers, 
over  this  strips  of  gold  pheasant  and  common  hen  pheasant 
tail,  a  good  slice  of  bustard  and  pintail  on  either  side,  with  a 


276  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

few  fibres  of  tippet,  kingfisher  on  either  cheek,  blue  macaw 
ribs,  and  one  topping  over  all ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  mulberry  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping 
and  some  wood-duck ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  gold  floss 
two  turns,  one-third  yellow,  the  rest  very  dark  olive  pig'? 
wool ;  hackle,  black,  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  under  wing,  a 
tippet  feather,  over  it,  gold  pheasant  tail,  pintail,  mallard,  a 
gold  pheasant  rump  feather,  a  topping  over  all,  blue  macaw 
ribs.  Medium  hooks  in  spring,  smaller  for  summer,  6  and  7, 
8,  9  and  10.  See  also  No.  8  of  the  Ness  flies ;  also  the  High- 
lander. 


THE   OYKEL 

Patterns  from  Farlow. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  pale  yello^y  floss  ;  tail,  a  top- 
ping and  kingfisher  ;  body,  black  floss,  over  this  spirals  of 
si  ver  twist,  bright  red  floss,  and  silver  tinsel  (the  floss  in  the 
middle),  all  these  together  almost  equal  in  breadth  to  the 
black  floss.  A  whisp  of  red  mohair  at  breast ;  over  this  a  few 
strands  of  gallina  and  blue  jay,  about  one  turn  of  each,  over 
all  black  heron's  hackle,  not  too  thick,  but  reaching  to  the 
bend  ;  wing,  gold  pheasant  tail  and  tippet  fibres,  over  it  some 
teal,  bustard  and  gallina,  yellow  macaw  ribs  ;  orange-yellow 
crewel  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  twist  and  orange-yellow  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping ;  body,  copper-red  floss ;  medium  silver  tinsel ; 
hackle,  medium  olive,  bustard  hackle  at  shoulder ;  wing, 
florican  and  galling,  with  dirty  red  and  yel'ow  fibres,  brown 
mallard  over  and  a  few  gallina  fibres  over  that,  blue  macaw 
ribs ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  twist,  burnt  sienna  floss ;  tail,  tippet  and 
gallina  fibres,  thin ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  one  quarter 
medium  orange  floss,  three  quarters  black  floss  ;  silver  tinsel 
and  greenish  olive  hackle,  one  turn  of  yellowish  olive  at 
shoulder ;  wing,  orange-yellow  and  dirty  red  fibres,  with  a 
few  blue  macaw,  slips  of  bustard,  a  bit  of  silver  mottled  turkey 
or  peacock  in  the  middle,  blue  macaw  ribs ;  black  head  ; 
hooks  from  6  to  8. 

THE   BRORA 

The  Brora  is  a  river  which  has  for  many  years  remained  in 
the  same  hands,  and  as  little  is  known  about  it  by  the  public, 


THE  BRORA  AND  THE  HELMSDALE    277 

no  doubt  the  renters  have  a  pretty  good  thing,  and  are  wise 
enough  to  keep  the  knowledge  of  their  sport  to  themselves. 

Patterns  from  Snowie. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  twist,  and  gold-coloured  floss  ;  tail,  one 
topping  ;  body,  gold-coloured  floss,  two  turns,  medium  brown 
mohair  ;  silver  tinsel ;  longish  fibred  black  hackle  (only  on 
shoulder)  ;  wing,  a  strip  of  peacock  stained  yellow,  gold 
pheasant  tail,  sprigs  of  tippet,  strips  of  teal  on  either  side,  a 
topping  over  all. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ; 
butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  half  orange  floss  and  half  black 
mohair  ;  hackle,  gallina  only  at  shoulder  ;  under  wing,  a  bit 
of  tippet  (longish),  orange-yellow  and  claret  strips  of  swan, 
gold  pheasant  tail,  mallard,  pintail,  a  topping  over  all,  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;   short  jungle  cock  on  either  cheek  ;   black  head. 

No.  3.  John  Scott. — This  is  a  very  tasty-looking  fly,  being 
decorated  with  what  is  called  in  Ireland  a  mane,  which  is  made 
by  tying  in  on  the  back  small  locks  of  mohair  of  different 
colours  ;  tag,  silver  tinsel  and  gold-coloured  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping ;  butt,  blue  ostrich  herl ;  body,  half  gold-coloured 
floss  and  half  medium  blue.  The  mane  is  composed  of  locks  of 
yellow-orange,  purple  claret  and  medium  blue  mohair  ;  silver 
tinsel ;  hackle,  medium  blue,  longish  in  the  fibre,  and  only  on 
shoulder  ;  wing,  fibres  of  tippet,  strips  of  black  partridge  and 
bustard  on  either  side,  a  topping  over  all ;  the  mane  very  much 
supphes  the  wing  ;   kingfisher  on  either  cheek  ;   black  head. 

The  Butcher  and  Childers  are  also  capital  flies  on  the  Brora, 
and  the  Popham  is  also  said  to  kill  wdl  at  times.  Flies  from 
6  or  7  to  9  or  10.* 

THE  HELMSDALE 

Is  a  smaU  river,  rather  dependent  on  rain;t  and  though  it 
often  yields  good  sport  in  the  spring,  it  is  often  for  some  period 
too  low  for  fishing  as  the  summer  comes  on. 
Patterns  from  Snowie. 

*  My  acquaintance  with  the  Brora  is  hmited  to  three  consecutive  days  in 
March,  1909,  when  my  gilUe  prescribed  the  Green  Highlander  (Plate  XVIII, 
Fig.  2),  as  the  only  true  medicine.  Nor  had  I  cause  to  complain,  for  I  had 
thirteen  fish  in  the  three  days. — Ed. 

t  The  Helmsdale  is  considerably  larger  than  the  Brora.  Since  Francis's 
day  its  salmon  anghng  has  been  developed  in  a  degree  without  parallel  in 
any  other  river  except  the  Wye.  Not  only  have  all  the  river  and  sea  nets 
been  removed,  but  by  raising  the  level  of  the  lochs  at  the  head  of  the  river,  a 
steady  flow  of  water  is  secured  throughout  the  summer  months,  and  angling 
is  carried  on  all  the  time. — Ed, 


278  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  three  turns  of  orange  floss,  the  rest 
of  medium  brown  pig's  wool ;  silver  tinsel ;  small  black  hackle, 
grouse  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  slice  of  tippet,  strips  of 
bustard,  pintail,  gold  pheasant  tail,  galHna,  and  yellow  swan, 
a  topping  over  all ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  butt,  black  ostrich 
herl ;  body,  gold-coloured  floss  one-third,  the  rest  pea-green 
pig's  wool  (roughish  and  picked  out)  ;  silver  twist ;  grouse 
hackle  (thickish)  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  bit  of  tippet,  strips  of 
gold  pheasant  tail  and  teal,  plenty  of  orange  sprigs,  a  topping 
over  all ;   two  short  jungle  cock  at  cheeks. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping ; 
butt,  blue  ostrich  herl ;  body,  ruby  floss  three  turns,  olive  and 
then  medium  blue  mohair  in  equal  parts  (roughish  and  picked 
out),  silver  twist ;  grouse  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing  as  before, 
with  the  addition  of  a  sUce  of  gallina  (the  round  spotted)!; 
head,  black. 

Add  to  these  the  Butcher,  Childers,  and  the  Snow  Fly,  noted 
above.  The  Helmsdale  is  not  a  large  river,  and  the  flies  are 
dressed  on  hooks  from  7  to  10.* 


THE   BEAULY 

Is  a  fine  large  river,  and  belongs  chiefly  to  Lord  Lovat.  The 
weir  is  a  hard  one  to  get  up,  and  in  the  weir  pool  great  numbers 
of  fish  are  often  congregated.  Here,  two  or  three  years  since, 
the  Master  of  Lovat  had  in  three  days  perhaps  the  most  extra- 
ordinary sport  ever  had  in  Great  Britain. 

Patterns  from  Snowie. 

There  is  a  singular  fly  used  on  the  Beauly,  which  is  there 
termed  the  Snow  Fly,  and  as  long  as  there  is  any  snow  water 
on  the  river  that  fly  kills  well ;  far  better  indeed  than  any 
other.  It  is  dressed  on  a  big  long-shanked  round-head  hook 
like  the  Tay  flies. 

Beauly  Snow  Fly  (Plate,  XV,  Fig.  i). — It  boasts  neither  tag 
nor  tail ;  the  body  is  of  lightish  blue  pig's  wool,  rather 
sparely  dressed  ;  silver  tinsel  and  gold  twist ;  black  heron's 
hackle,  as  long  in  the  fibre  or  longer  than  the  hook  ;  wings, 
a  large  bunch  of  bronze-coloured  peacock  herl ;  round  the 
shoulder  over  this  is  tied  hackle-wise  a  ruff  of  bright  orange 
mohair,  which  gives  a  brilliant  and  unusual  look  to  the  fly. 

*  Early  in  the  season  I  have  killed  fish  in  Helmsdale  on  a  3  J  in.  fly. — Ed. 


PLATE  XIX. 


Flq  3. 


r  '.v.\ 


Tojace  Page  279. 

SALMON  FLIES. 

1.     The  Blue  Doctor.  2.     The  Dusty  Miller. 

3.     The  Bittern.  4.     Francis'  Favourite. 


THE  FINDHORN  279 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  gold  coloured  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping,  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  gold- 
coloured  floss,  half  yellow  and  half  black  mohair  ;  hackle, 
black  (over  the  black  mohair  only),  at  the  shoulder  darkish 
blue  (sparely)  with  blue  jay  over  it ;  wing,  a  couple  of  strips 
of  tippet,  gold  pheasant  tail,  brown  mallard,  gallina,  yellow, 
red,  and  orange  sprigs,  a  topping  over  all,  and  blue  macaw 
ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tail,  a  topping  and  mallard  ;  body,  medium  blue  ; 
ditto.,  hackle  ;  gold  tinsel ;  gallina  hackle  at  shoulder,  blue 
jay  over  it  ;^  wings,  strips  of  bustard,  dark  and  Ught  turkey, 
and  some  peacock  herls,  and  a  topping  over  all.  FHes,  5  and  6 
for  spring,  7  and  8  for  summer. 


THE  FINDHORN 

The  Findhom  is  a  very  fine  and  lovely  river,  and  the  pools 
and  streams  perfection.  At  one  time  there  was  no  river  in 
Scotland  that  gave  such  sport  to  the  rod,  but  nets  near  the 
mouth,  and  incessant  netting  of  the  lower  pools  thin  the  fish, 
and  injure  the  sport  greatly. 

It  can  be  fished  from  the  shore,  but  some  of  the  casts  require 
deepish  wading.  It  is  a  long  river,  with  mountainous  sources, 
and  heavy  rains  may  be  going  on  back  in  the  moimtains, 
which  the  angler  has  no  idea  of,  and  the  river  will  come  down 
sometimes  suddenly  with  a  bore  or  a  wave  six  feet  high.  The 
banks  are  high  and  rocky,  and  often  inaccessible,  and  woe  be 
to  the  angler  if  he  is  caught  between  them.  The  late  Sir  A.  P. 
Gordon  Gumming  showed  me  one  spot  where  he  had  had  a  very 
narrow  escape.  He  had  walked  across  a  part  of  the  river  bed 
over  which  a  little  stream  ran  not  higher  than  his  ankles,  to  a 
cast  about  one  hundred  yards  up  the  river.  He  was  fishing 
the  cast,^when  suddenly  he  fancied  the  water  was  thickening 
in  colour.  It  was  a  brilliant  day,  without  a  sign  of  rain.  He 
looked  over  his  shoulder  up  the  river,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  off  he  saw  a  big  red  wave,  about 
five  or  six  feet  high,  coming  down  like  a  race  horse  :  not  a 
moment'^was  to  be  lost,  and  he  bolted  for  the  landing-place  as 
hard  as  his  legs  would  carry  him,  and  he  only  just  reached  it, 
for  the  little  stream,  which  was  not  over  his  ankles  five  minutes 
before,  was  up  to  his  waist  before  he  got  out  of  it,  and  in  another 
half -minute  an  elephant  would  have  been  carried  away  in  it. 
I  was  nearly  caught  once  in  the  same  way  on  the  upper  part 


28o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

of  the  Coquet.  I  mention  these  facts,  that  anglers  may  be 
aware  of  them  when  they  are  fishing  Highland  rivers. 

The  accompanying  patterns  I  obtained  from  Sir  A.  P. 
Gordon  Gumming,*  one  of  the  best  amateur  tyers  in  the  North. 
They  are  all  old  well-used  favourites,  and  are  the  result  of 
twenty  years'  experience.  The  Findhorn  spring  flies  are  rather 
large  and  showy — not  so  large  as  the  Dee  flies,  perhaps,  but 
full  large,  some  of  the  flies  (the  largest)  being  dressed  on  the 
ordinary  Limerick  hook,  from  No.  2  to  No.  5.  In  low  bright 
water  they  may  be  used  smaller  than  this. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  thread  and  puce  floss  ;  tail,  a  good  sized 
topping,  some  tippet,  and  a  kingfisher  feather;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  lightish  claret  floss  ;  silver  tinsel  and  gold 
twist  (not  together,  but  equidistant)  ;  hackle,  light  claret, 
blue  jay  at  shoulder ;  wing,  two  large  tippet  feathers,  almost 
the  full  length  of  the  wing,  over  it  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  tail, 
a  good  many  sprigs  of  both  red  and  blue  macaw,  slips  of  brown 
gled  and  dark  bustard  ;  on  either  shoulder,  nearly  half  the 
length  of  the  wing,  the  tips  of  two  blue  macaw  feathers  ;  the 
head  is  composed  of  orange  mohair,  set  on  like  a  hackle,  and 
forming  a  ruff.  Most  of  the  Findhorn  flies  are  mounted  in  this 
way,  and  it  makes  them  very  conspicuous.  In  some  Sir 
Alexander  used  the  soft  silky  Pinna  marina,  and  it  has  a  very 
striking  effect.  The  hook  of  this  fly  is  a  No.  2  or  3.  The  size 
sent  is  between  the  two. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  a  good- 
sized  topping  ;  some  tippet,  and  gallina,  butt,  black  ostrich  ; 
body,  copper-coloured  floss  ;  broad  silver  tinsel  and  narrow 
gold  ditto  side  by  side  ;  hackle,  medium  claret,  blue  jay  at 
shoulder  ;  wing,  as  before,  the  tippets  not  quite  so  long,  a 
little  English  bustard,  brown  mallard,  and  brown  speckled 
turkey  instead  of  gled,  and  bright  bustard,  red  macaw  and 
pale  green  swan  sprigs,  no  blue  macaw  at  all ;  hook,  a  size 
smaller  than  the  last. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  ruby  floss  ;   tail,  a  good-sized 

*  Since  the  above  was  printed  I  have  had  the  news  of  poor  Sir  Alexander's 
death.  But  a  short  year  since  I  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  his  hospitality  in 
his  beautiful  residence  on  the  banks  of  the  lovely  Findhorn  ;  we  fished,  tied 
flies,  and  held  sweet  converse  upon  matters  piscatorial,  day  by  day,  and  I 
have  seldom  enjoyed  a  week  more  thoroughly  than  that  I  spent  at  Altyre  ; 
he  was  then  apparently  in  the  pride  of  his  strength  and  the  prime  of  man- 
hood. How  beautifully  he  tied  the  salmon  fly,  blending  its  colours  into  one 
harmonious  combination,  and  with  what  a  workmanlike  and  skilful  hand 
he  hurled  it  across  the  waters  ;  but  alas  and  in  truth  it  will  be  long  ere  I 
shall  "  look  upon  his  like  again  !  " — F.  F. 


THE  FINDHORN  281 

topping  and  tippet ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body  orange-yellow 
flossf;  broad  gold  tinsel ;  rather  light  blue  hackle,  blue  jay 
at  shoulder  ;  wing,  one  medium-sized  tippet,  two  good  slices 
of  brown  speckled  turkey,  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  a  few 
of  red  and  blue  macaw  ;  bright  red  mohair  head  and  collar ; 
blue  macaw  horns  tied  in  above  this  ;  hook,  same  as  last. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  one  good  topping  ;  body, 
three  turns  of  ruby  floss,  the  rest  of  Ught  apple-green  floss  ; 
silver  and  gold  tinsel,  equidistant  ;  hackle,  bright  medium 
green,  inclining  to  a  blue-green,  black  heron  hackle  on  shoulder, 
the  fibre  reaching  the  barb  of  the  hook  ;  wing,  a  bunch  of 
emerald-green  peacock  herl  (taken  from  the  scimitar-shaped 
feather),  shoes  of  brown  speckled  turkey,  bright  peacock,  a 
little  bustard,  red  and  blue  macaw  and  green  swan  ;  collar, 
blue  mohair  ;  hook,  a  size  smaller  than  the  last. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  a  small  bunch  of  red  mohair  ; 
tail,  topping  and  tippet,  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  sword  feather, 
blue  macaw  and  pale  yellow-green  parrot ;  butt,  black  ostrich ; 
body,  same  as  before,  only  a  shade  or  so  lighter  ;  gold  and 
silver  tinsel  side  by  side ;  hackle,  coch  y  bondu,  stained  brown, 
black  heron  on  shoulder,  reaching  to  point  of  hook  ;  wing, 
strips  of  bustard  and  bright  peacock,  sprigs  of  blue  and  red 
macaw  and  yellow-green  swan  ;  collar,  bright  orange  mohairj 
hook,  same  as  last. 

No.  6.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  yellow  floss^;  tail,  a  longish 
topping  tippet,  and  a  red  toucan  feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich ; 
body,  black  floss  ;  broad  silver  tinsel  and  gold  thread  side  by 
side  ;  hackle,  the  dark  chocolate  brown  cock's  feather  used  in 
the  Spey  flies,  black  heron  at  shoulder,  and  gallina  over  it ; 
wing,  two  tippet  feathers  (two-thirds  the  length  of  wing), 
mixed  peacock  and  gold  pheasant  tail,  with  fibres  of  red  and 
blue  macaw  ;   olive-yellow  mohair  collar  ;  hook.  No.  4. 

No.  7.  Tag,  gold  thread  ;  tail,  a  topping,  and  some  galHna  ; 
body,  one  turn  of  orange-yellow  pig's  wool,  then  two  light 
clarety  red,  two  of  medium  blue,  three  of  clarety  red,  and  the 
same  of  orange-yellow  ;  broadish  gold  tinsel ;  dark  purple 
hackle,  black  hackle  at  shoulder,  blue  jay  over  it ;  wing,  one 
tippet  (half  the  length  of  wing),  mixed  gold  pheasant  tail, 
mallard,  a  little  gallina,  a  little  bright  bustard,  a  few  sprigs 
of  long  tippet,  and  of  yellow  and  claret  swan,  and  several  blue 
macaw  sprigs  ;  black  head,  no  collar  ;  hook.  No.  5. 

No.  8.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  darkish  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a 
good  topping  ;    but,  black  ostrich ;    body,  one-third  orange- 


282  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

yellow  floss,  the  rest  dark  chocolate  floss ;  hackle,  a  brown 
claret,  black  heron  on  shoulder  (shortish)  ;  wing,  a  tippet 
(long),  the  tip  of  a  black  partridge  feather,  a  bit  of  dark  brown 
mallard,  and  the  tip  of  a  green  parrot  feather,  over  this  sprigs 
of  brown  turkey,  gold  pheasant  tail,  two  or  three  copper- 
coloured  peacock  herls,  red  and  blue  macaw,  kingfisher  on 
either  cheek  ;  mohair  collar  not  too  heavy,  the  colour  of  which 
is  not  orange  nor  pink,  but  a  sort  of  madder.  Hook,  a  trifle 
shorter  than  the  last. 

Sir  Alexander  gave  some  directions  for  varying  the  flies, 
and  I  cannot  do  better  than  append  his  letter. 

"Altyre,  Forres,  N.B.,  July  30,  1865. 

**  My  dear  Sir, — I  have  selected  eight  of  the  flies  which  I 
have  found  most  kilhng  on  the  Findhorn,  during  twenty 
years'  work.  These  may  be  successfully  varied  by  changing 
the  colour  of  the  bodies  and  heads  ;  red  for  orange,  black  for 
yellow  heads,  and  bodies  made  black  for  claret  or  green,  and 
vice  versa.  These  eight  patterns  I  generally  adhere  to  through- 
out the  year,  by  dressing  them  one,  two,  and  three  sizes  smaller. 
Blue  bodies  may  be  substituted  in  the  case  of  the  black  and 
two  clarets,  with  advantage  to  the  angler  and  detriment  to 
the  fish.  The  wings  of  two  are  far  too  long,  but  this  you  need 
not  mind.  All  should  have  one  or  two  toppings  (shortish) 
for  tails,  and  if  the  wing  is  dressed  thinner  it  is  an  immense 
improvement,  where  economy  is  no  object,  to  put  two  long 
toppings  on  the  wing. 

"|Yours  truly, 

"  A.  P.  Gordon  Gumming." 


THE  TAY 

The  Tay  is  a  splendid  river.  The  water  is  heavy,  but  some  of 
the  pools  and  streams  are  magnificent.  The  fishing  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  river  is  mostly  from  a  boat,  and  the  style  is  called 
"  harling."  Three  rods  are  used,  and  the  boat  is  rowed  to  and  fro 
over  the  casts.  Two  of  the  rods  usually  have  a  couple  of  flies 
on  each,  and  the  third  a  phantom  minnow,  and  it  is  not  an  un- 
common thing  for  two  of  the  rods  to  have  a  fish  on  at  the  same 
moment,  and  I  have  even  heard  an  instance  or  two  of  all  three  of 
them  being  at  work  simultaneously.  A  few  of  the  casts,  however, 
can  be  fished  from  the  shore,  and  where  this  is  the  case,  the 
sport  is  of  a  very  superior  kind  ;  for,  owing  to  the  size  of  the 


J 

THE  TAY  283 

river  and  weight  of  the  stream,  Tay  fish  nearly  always  show 
great  sport.  The  Tay  has  been  rendered  famous  by  poor 
Leech,  as  it  was  on  one  of  the  best  known  parts  ^jof  the  river 
that  the  immortal  Briggs  killed  the  great  salmon.  A  magnifi- 
cent piece  of  water  it  is,  and  is  known  by  the  euphonious 
title  of  Hell  Hole.  The  system  of  letting  fishing  on  the  Tay 
is  a  capital  one,  as  it  provides  fishing  for  a  large  number  of 
persons  at  a  moderate  outlay,  while  the  total  of  rents  is  con- 
siderable. It  is  customary  to  take  a  certain  water  for  one 
special  day  per  week  throughout  the  season,  five  other  persons 
taking  the  other  disposable  five  days,  each  lessee  fishing  it 
in  turn.  It  is  best  in  summer  and  autumn  ;  gives  a  few  fish 
in  the  spring,  but  the  best  sport  is  in  the  autumn. 

The  spring  flies  for  the  Tay  are  of  the  largest  size.  Like 
those  of  the  Dee  they  are  tied  upon  very  long  shanked  hooks, 
but  the  round  bend  is  perferred  to  the  Limerick. 

The  Black  Dog. — Tail,  a  tuft  of  olive-yellow  pig's  wool ; 
body,  black  mohair  ;  gold  and  silver  tinsel  with  orange  silk 
between  ;  two  or  three  black  hackles  ;  gallina  at  shoulder  ; 
wing,  grey  [speckled  turkey,  two  long  slips.  The  hook  is 
3 J  ins.  long  and  J  of  an  inch  wide,  and  the  succeeding  flies 
run  down  to  2  ins.  or  even  smaller.     (Plate  XV,  Fig.  2.) 

The  Tartan  (Tay). — Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  a  sHce  of  tippet 
and  orange-yellow  pig's  wool ;  butt,  peacock  herl ;  body, 
pig's  wool  as  follows,  orange,  yellow,  bright  pea-green,  red, 
and  blue  grey,  dressed  rough  and  picked  out ;  broad  silver 
tinsel  gaUina  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  sUps  of  grey  andglight- 
brown  turkey,  sprigs  of  yellow,  red,  and  lavender  swan  with 
a  bunch  of  peacock  herl  over  all ;  peacock  head. 

The  Nicholson. — This  is  a  very  gay  affair.  Tag,  silver 
twist  ;  tail,  a  topping,  a  bit  of  red  parrot,  and  a  wisp  of  red 
mohair  ;  over  this,  as  a  butt,  is  wound  on  a  blue  jay  hackle, 
and  over  that  black  ostrich  herl.  The  fly  is  then  separated  by 
hackles  into  three  divisions,  and  each  of  these  divisions  is  in 
two  joints  of  different  coloured  floss.  The  lower  joint  is 
scarlet  and  black,  above  this  is  another  jay  hackle  and  black 
herl.  The  second  joint  is  lemon  and  scarlet,  and  above  this 
is  a  scarlet  hackle  and  black  herl.  The  third  joint  is  orange 
and  medium  blue  floss,  over  this  medium  blue  hackle,  and 
above  that  a  darkish  orange  coch  y  bondu  hackle.  Wing, 
large  cock  of  the  rock  or  two  orange  hackles,  strips  of  bustard, 
argus,  lightish  turkey,  lavender,  yellow,  and  red  swan,  one 
topping  over  all,  jungle  cock  at  cheeks  ;  peacock  herl  head. 


284  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  Murray. — Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  yellow  pig's  wool ; 
butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  darkish  red  claret ;  hackle  the  same ; 
silver  tinsel ;  gallina  at  shoulder  ;  speckled  dun  turkey  wings 
two  strips  (that  with  the  light  edge  to  the  extreme  tip  of  the 
feather  being  preferred). 

The  patterns  of  the  above  four  flies  were  furnished  to  me 
by  Mr.  Paton  of  Perth,  the  great  obeah-man  of  angling 
mysteries  in  that  district,  and  a  first-rate  artificer  of  all 
sporting  requisites.  Any  angler  going  to  the  Tay  will  scarcely 
fail  to  look  in  on  him  for  a  chat  and  advice. 

The  Wasp  (Blue). — Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  tippet  and  red 
mohair  ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  about  two-fifths  yellow 
pig's  wool  and  three-fifths  darkish  blue  pig's  wool ;  silver 
tinsel ;  medium  blue  hackle  (only  over  blue  wool),  black 
hackle  at  shoulder  ;  peacock  head  ;  wing,  two  strips  of  dun 
(speckled)  turkey.  It  is  sometimes  the  fashion,  when  the 
fibres  cannot  be  obtained  long  enough  for  the  required  wing, 
to  tie  double  wings  of  shortish  fibre,  that  is,  there  is  the  usual 
pair  at  the  shoulder  and  another  pair  tied  on  half-way  down 
the  back,  as  previously  noted  by  Mr.  Maxwell.  They  have 
also  another  dodge  on  the  Tay  to  make  a  long-fibred  wing. 
They  take  a  strand  of  gut  of  the  required  length,  strip  the 
fibres  off  feathers,  and  lap  them  neatly  along  on  the  gut  so 
that  the  gut  shall  form  a  sort  of  artificial  quill.  Gallina  looks 
very  well  so,  and  answers  for  the  small  silver-grey  mottled 
turkey,  which  is  scarce. 

The  Wasp  (Claret). — Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  galHna  and 
mallard ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  olive-yellow  pig's  wool 
one-third,  two  turns  of  medium  claret  ditto,  and  the  rest  of 
medium  blue  ditto  ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  medium  red  claret ; 
gaUina  at  shoulder  ;  silver  grey  speckled  turkey  wing  ;  pea- 
cock head.  There  is  another  pattern  of  wasp  with  black 
upper  half  to  the  body,  mixed  wing,  and  peacock's  breast 
feather  for  shoulder  hackle. 

I  have  here  given  half  a  dozen  of  the  best  known  Tay  flies, 
but  the  variety  is  endless,  almost  any  arrangement  of  wool, 
hackle,  and  tinsel  doing  for  the  bodies  at  times,  in  which  blue, 
claret,  and  yellow  are  the  principal  admixtures.  The  wings 
are  of  various  shades  of  turkey  for  the  most  part,  the  Hghtly 
speckled  reddish  brown,  with  the  faint  white  tip,  as  I  have 
said,  being  the  favourite. 

I  add  a  few  patterns  sent  me  by  my  friend  Mr.  WiUiam 
James  Davidson  of  Glasgow,  many  years  a  frequenter  of  the 


H^ 


THE  TAY  285 

Tay.  The  first  fly  has  no  name  ;  and  as  most  of  the  flies  on 
the  Tay  have  a  name,  I  give  it  the  very  suitable  one  of 

The  Policeman,  blue  being  his  prevailing  tinge,  and  taking 
of  prisoners  his  occupation.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  red-orange 
floss  ;  tail,  hght  brown  speckled  turkey  and  yellow  swan  ; 
body,  rough  darkish  medium  blue  pig's  wool ;  hackle  one 
shade  darker,  dark  reddish  brown  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  broad 
silver  tinsel ;  a  few  sprigs  of  medium  claret  and  orange  pig's 
wool  thrown  in  just  under  the  shoulder  hackle  ;  wing,  light 
brown  speckled  turkey,  with  a  bunch  of  bronze  peacock's  herl 
over  it.  Hooks  3^  ins.  to  2  ins.  This  fly,  made  of  the  largest 
Tay  size,  does  well  for  high  spring  water.  Mr.  Davidson  has 
a  high  opinion  of  it,  and  he  has  reason  to  have,  as  he  says, 
"  I  have  found  this  fly  the  best  on  the  Tay  until  the  second 
week  in  May  ;  with  the  identical  specimen  I  enclose,  I  killed 
in  a  few  hours  on  the  Stobhall  water  four  clean  run  fish  in  the 
beginning  of  May." 

The  Waterwitch. — There  are  two  specimens  of  this  fly,  one 
with  a  rough  pig's  wool  body,  and  this  is  the  larger  fly,  and  one 
of  floss,  but  the  colours  are  similar.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and 
golden  floss ;  tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  one- 
third  yellow,  two-thirds  hghtish  blue  ;  hackle,  jay  (only  over  the 
blue)  ;  wing,  a  (round  spot)  gallina  feather,  over  this  mixed 
wing,  gold  pheasant  tail,  brown  and  grey  turkey,  fibres  of 
tippet  and  sword  feathers,  and  blue  macaw  ribs.  Of  these 
Mr.  Davidson  adds  :  "  They  are  my  favourites,  and  I  will 
back  them  against  any  others  for  the  Tay,  the  Tummel,  the 

arry,  and  the  Orchy,  from  the  month  of  May  to  the  close  of 

e  season."  Barring  the  gallina  feather  in  the  wing,  the 
attem  is  a  wonderfully  general  favourite  throughout  Scotland. 

ooks  from  2\  ins.  to  if  in. 

The  Lion. — Tag,  embossed  silver  tinsel  and  ruby  floss  ; 
ail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  embossed  silver 
insel,  showing  a  few  thin  rings  of  pale  green  floss  between  ; 
hackle  (at  shoulder)  longish  black  heron  ;  wing,  fibres  of 
peacock,  brown  mallard,  pinkish  stained  grey  mallard,  tippet, 
and  gaUina,  two  toppings  set  on  apart  Hke  wings,  with  blue 
macaw  ribs. 

Mr.  Davidson  thus  concludes  :    "  The  blue  body  and  pea- 

ck's  wing  (Policeman)  for  spring ;  the  Waterwitch  for 
summer  and  autumn,  and  the  Lion  at  the  close  of  the  season, 
are  what  I  chiefly  depend  on  ;  and,  armed  with  a  proper 
assortment  of  these,  the  angler  requires  no  other  lure." 


I 


286  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

THE   TUMMEL,    GARRY,    ISLA 

and  all  the  other  tributaries  of  the  Tay,  are  fished  with  flies 
of  precisely  the  same  pattern  as  those  used  for  the  Tay,  regard 
being  had  to  the  size  of  the  water,  and  the  fly  being  suitably 
rediTced  thereto. 

THE   SPEY 

The  Spey  is  another  magnificent  river,  which  often  gives 
grand  sport ;  and  as  the  river  is  large  and  the  anghng  is 
mostly  from  the  bank,*  and  the  banks  are  frequently  high, 
while  the  stream  is  not  only  heavy  but  often  tremendously 
rapid  and  rough  as  is  the  bottom,  an  indifferent  fisherman 
cannot  expect  much  sport  on  the  Spey.  It  is  a  very  long 
river,  having  many  mountainous  tributaries,  and  thus  it  often 
keeps  up  and  out  of  condition  for  fishing  for  a  much  longer 
time  than  is  agreeable  to  the  angler.  This  is  frequently  the 
case  in  spring,  when  the  snows  on  the  mountains  are  melting, 
and  when  sport  to  any  extent  cannot  well  be  relied  on.  After 
the  great  bulk  of  the  snow  is  gone,  in  the  early  summer,  when 
the  river  is  settling  steadily  down  and  the  grilse  are  beginning 
to  come  up,  is  perhaps  the  best  time  for  the  Spey. 

The  Spey  flies  are  very  curious  productions  to  look  at, 
it  being  customary  to  dress  them  the  reverse  way  of  the 
hackle,  and  to  send  the  twist  or  tinsel  the  opposite  way  to 
the  hackle. 

The  Spey  Dog. — This  is  usually  dressed  large  for  the 
spring,  the  long  shanked  Dee  hooks  being  preferred.  Body, 
black  pig's  wool ;  up  this  is  then  wound  some  broad 
silver  tinsel  in  widish  rings  ;  over  the  tinsel  is  laid  on  a 
large  black  feather  (it  can  hardly  be  called  hackle)  with  a 
lightish  dun  tip,  taken  from  the  side  of  a  Scotch  cock's  tail. 
The  feather  is  dressed  the  wrong  way,  so  that  the  hackle 
stands  out  abruptly,  and  it  is  carried  round  the  opposite 
way  to  the  tinsel,  as  some  of  the  tinsel  crosses  it ;  over  this 
hackle  is  wound  some  gold  tinsel,  not  side  by  side  with  the 
silver,  but  quite  independent  of  it.  This  aids  the  glitter  of  the 
fly,  and  strengthens  and  keeps  the  hackle  secure.  At  the 
shoulder  a  teal  hackle  ;  wing,  a  good  wad  of  gold  pheasant 
tail,  with  two  long  strips  of  grey  mallard  with  brownish  points 
over  it.    The  fly  can  be  varied  by  using  a  brown  hackle  and 

*  True,  if  "  bank  fishing  "  be  held  to  include  deep  and  difficult  wading  in 
this  swift  river. — Ed, 


THE  SPEY  287 

turkey  instead  of  gold  pheasant  tail,  add  also  orange  silk 
between  the  tinsels. 

The  hook  used  in  these  flies  is  3  ins.  long  in  the  shank,  and 
the  bend  is  that  given  as  No.  3  in  the  scale,  but  which  is  barely 
2^  ins.  long  in  the  shank. 

The  Purple  King. — Body,  a  light  purple  mohair  ;  hackle, 
brownish  black  with  hght  blue  dun  tip  ;  tinsel,  gold  and  silver 
and  silver  twist  over  hackle  as  before  ;  teal  shoulder,  and  two 
strips  of  grey  mallard  wing  with  brown  tips.   (Plate  XV,  Fig.  3.) 

The  Green  King. — Body,  orange  and  olive-yellow  mixed 
mohair  ;  hackle,  brown  with  grey  tips  ;  the  rest  of  the  fly 
as  before. 

For  these  last  two  patterns  I  am  indebted  to  my  friend 
Mr.  C.  Grant  of  Aberlour.  Mr.  Grant  very  kindly  furnished 
me  with  minute  particulars  as  to  the  dressing,  dyeing,  etc., 
and  I  cannot  put  his  directions  in  a  better  form  than  he  has 
put  them  himself,  and  therefore  I  append  his  letter.  In  it 
he  describes  two  other  flies  I  had  not  the  patterns  of,  viz. 
"  the  Green  Dog  "  and  "  Purpy."  They  are  well-known 
standard  flies  on  the  Spey,  and  may  be  dressed  down  to  the 
smallest  size  for  midsummer  ;  the  "  Black  and  teal  "  already 
described  will  be  found  very  hard  to  beat  on  the  Spey. 

''Dear  Sir, 

Agreeably  to  my  promise,  I  now  send  you  the  pattern 
Spey  flies,  viz.  two  Purple  Kings  and  one  Green  King,  which 
you  will  easily  distinguish.  The  hackles  are  got  from  the  com- 
mon Scotch  cock,  and  lie  on  each  side  of  the  tail,  at  the  tip  of 
the  wings.  The  cock  is  rarely  to  be  met  with  except  with 
Spey  fishers,  who  breed  them  for  the  sake  of  their  feathers. 
The  dubbing  or  "  grounds  "  of  the  Purple  King  are  composed 
of  purple  (Berlin  wool),  stone  red,  dyed  from  the  moss  on  stones, 
and  scarlet  wool.  The  dubbing  of  Green  King  is  composed 
of  green  BerUn  wool,  stone  red,  yellow,  a  httle  orange,  and 
scarlet. 

In  spring  the  Purple  King  is  of  a  less  red  colour  than  one 
used  at  present.  The  Green  King  at  that  period  is  more 
gree?i,  but,  as  the  season  advances,  more  red  is  used  in  both, 
and  redder  feathers.  I  enclose  some  dubbing  of  each  to  fit 
the  present  season. 

Without  having  any  prejudice  against  gaudy  flies,  I  would 
prefer  Purple  and  Green  Kings  with  their  numerous  offspring, 
provided  I  could  get  proper  hackles  to  tie  them,  to  any  flies 


288  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

that  can  be  used  on  the  Spey.  The  flies  which  I  have  sent 
you  will  be  in  size  next  month  (July),  and  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  they  will  kill  upon  any  river  in  Scotland. 

The  dubbing  of  Green  Dog  is  the  same  as  Green  King, 
feather  a  little  lighter,  with  gold-colour  spate  and  pea-green 
thread  at  equal  distances  on  the  body  of  the  hook  or  fly.  The 
Purple,  or  '  Purpy,'  a  thirty-second  cousin  of  the  Purple  King, 
has  a  hackle  somewhat  redder  than  that  of  his  progenitor  ; 
dubbing,  dark  blue  and  stone  red,  with  gold  spate  and  purple 
thread  on  body  of  fly  at  equal  distances." 


CHAPTER  XI 

SALMON    F  1. 1  E  S— continued 
List  of  Flies  for  Irish  Rivers 
"^  THE   ERNE,    BALLYSHANNON 

THESE  patterns  were  poor  Pat  McKay's,  than  whom 
no  better  artificer  ever  turned  fly  out  of  hand. 
No.  I.  The  Parson  has  been  already  described 
amongst  the  general  flies ;  but,  since  I  described  it, 
I  have  received  some  patterns  with  a  letter  of  explanation  from 
my  friend  Dr.  Sheil,  the  courteous  and  liberal  proprietor  of  the 
Erne,  to  whom  I  owe  many  kindnesses  and  some  good  fishing 
on  one  of  the  finest  rivers  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  cast  a 
fly.  For  the  Erne  is  the  beau-ideal  of  a  salmon  river,  contain- 
ing every  kind  of  water  that  is  found  in  salmon  rivers,  and  all 
in  perfection.  Here  we  have  falls,  rapids,  broken  pools,  rocky 
torrents,  and  swift  glassy  currents,  and  even  heavy  reaches 
for  boat  fishing.  The  fish  run  large  and  nearly  always  show  the 
finest  sport.  The  sport  is  best  in  the  months  of  May  and  July, 
if  the  river  is  low  enough,  for  it  is  much  more  apt  to  be  too 
high  than  too  low,  running  as  it  does  from  such  a  very  large 
lake  as  Lough  Erne,  which,  indeed,  is  rather  two  large  lakes 
than  one.  The  river  is  very  rarely  too  low  for  sport,  and  even 
in  the  hottest  and  brightest  weather  sport  is  possible.  As 
Dr.  Sheil's  letter  gives  the  history  of  the  Parson,  I  trust  he 
will  excuse  me  for  making  the  information  upon  such  an 
interesting  point  pubhc. 

My  dear  Sir, 

I  send  four  Parsons  I  have  borrowed  from  Mr.  Hobson, 
and  I  will  send  you  a  couple  made  with  summer  duck  in  the 
wing.  The  first  "  Parson,"  and  called  from  him,  was  used  by 
the  Rev.  Arthur  Meyrick,  of  Romsbury;  it  was  two  large 
toppings,  a  yellow  body,  yellow  hackle,  very  thin  twist  run 

289 


290  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

close  together  up  the  body — I  mean  half  as  close  as  in  any  of 
those  flies  I  send.  He  said  he  got  it  from  Lord  Bolingbroke 
at  Christ  church.  He  changed  the  body  to  orange  ;  both  were 
silk  bodies. 

The  late  Mr.  William  Larket,  of  Derby,  put  cock  of  the 
rock  in  the  wing.  I  think  I  put  the  first  fur  body  to  the  fly — 
it  was  orange  pig's  wool.  Mr.  Larket  and  then  Mr.  Hobson 
altered  the  fur  to  a  mixture  of  red  and  yellow.  Mr.  Hobson 
added  to  this  the  purple  and  fiery  brown  under  the  wing, 
which  Pat  McKay  borrowed  and  adopted,  and  nothing  has 
beaten  this  pattern.  Yours, 

S.  Sheil. 

The  flies  sent  are  all  very  similar  to  the  patterns  already 
described,  save  that  some  of  them  have  in  the  wing  strips  of 
summer  or  wood  duck,  as  it  is  more  commonly  termed,  instead 
of  pintail.  Some  have  merely  the  toppings  and  two  cock  of 
the  rock  feathers  in  the  wing.  Most  of  them  have  longish 
kingfisher  feathers  at  the  cheek.  Some  have  and  some  have 
not  the  bit  of  tippet  for  an  under  wing.  Some,  instead  of  jay, 
have  a  medium  blue  hackle  at  shoulder,  and  some  a  claret 
hackle.  In  these  latter  cases,  the  hackle  is  dressed  outside  or 
over  the  wing,  the  ribs  put  on  over  that ;  these  are  macaw 
where  the  blue  feather  changes  to  red  at  the  points.  The 
tags  vary  a  little,  some  being  puce,  some  orange,  and  some 
yellow  silk.  The  bodies  vary  sUghtly  from  yellow  pig  to  yellow 
with  Httle  or  more  orange.  One  of  them  has  a  brown  body, 
but  I  do  not  much  Hke  it.  The  hackles  run  from  golden  to 
golden-olive  and  orange.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  a  Parson 
may  be  as  varied  as  his  creeds  are :  he  may  be  a  gorgeous 
Russo-Greek  ritualist  or  a  plain  parson  Adams. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  medium  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping,  and  some  tippet ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  medium 
claret  floss,  three  turns,  the  rest  medium  orange  floss  ;  silver 
tinsel ;  orange  hackle,  blue  jay  (sparish)  at  shoulder  ;  wing, 
mixed  gold  pheasant  tail,  gaUina,  and  tippet,  one  topping, 
red  macaw-ribs ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  twist,  medium  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a  top- 
ping ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  three  turns  of  fight  orange 
floss,  the  rest  of  light  purple  (lake*)  ;    silver  twist  ;    hackle, 

*  This  is  a  difficult  colour  to  des?ribe,  as  it  is  neither  claret,  nor  red,  nor 
purple,  nor  puce,  nor  mulberry,  nor  mauve  :  it  is  more  the  old-fashioned 
colour  called  "  lake." — F.  F. 


THE  ERNE  AND  LOUGH  MELVIN  291 

same  colour  as  body,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  as  in  No.  2, 
the  gold  pheasant  tail  perhaps  predominating  more  and  with 
blue  ribs. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  puce  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  and 
some  tippet ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  two-thirds  Ught 
orange  floss,  one-third  dark  fiery  orange-red  floss  ;  silver 
tinsel ;  medium  claret  hackle,  grouse  hackle  at  shoulder  ; 
wing,  the  same  as  in  No.  3,  with  a  slight  increase  of  gallina  ; 
head,  black. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  puce  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping 
and  some  tippet  ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  gold-coloured 
floss,  three  turns,  the  rest  of  dark  orange  pig's  wool,  silver 
twist  ;  Ught  red  claret  hackle,  grouse  ditto  at  shoulder  ;  wing, 
three  toppings,  two  strips  of  bright  well-marked  bittern  wing, 
and  some  tippet  sprigs,  a  couple  of  good  long  kingfisher,  one 
on  either  shoulder,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  a  very  pretty, 
taking-looking  fly. 

No.  6.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  mulberry  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping, 
and  tippet  sprigs  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  two-thirds  a 
greenish-yellow  mohair,  and  one-third  dirty  oUve  mohair  ; 
broad  gold  tinsel ;  hackle,  brown  when  held  down,  but  golden- 
oUve  when  held  up  to  the  Hght,  with  grouse  on  shoulder  ; 
under  wing  some  tippet  and  tail  sprigs  with  gaUina,  and  a 
brown  mallard  wing  over,  kingfisher  on  shoulder,  and  blue 
macaw  ribs. 

No.  7.  The  H.I.S. — This  fly  will  be  found  noticed  in  the 
letter  of  a  friend  under  "  Owenmore  and  Ballycroy."  Tag, 
silver  tinsel  ;  tail,  a  topping,  and  some  tippet  ;  body,  orange- 
yellow  floss,  gold  tinsel ;  coch  y  bondu  hackle  ;  a  few  turns 
of  longish  black  heron  at  the  shoulder  give  it  a  spider-like 
look  ;  wing,  brown  mallard,  two  or  three  fibres  of  blue  macaw, 
blue  jay  hackled  over  the  wing.    A  capital  killer. 

The  size  of  the  hooks  for  the  above  flies  is  from  5  to  8. 


LOUGH   MELVIN 

On  this  fine  lough,  which  is  some  seven  miles  in  length, 
and  contains  salmon,  grilse,  charr,  lake,  gillaroo,  and  other 
trout  in  abundance,  and  is  not  far  from  the  Erne,  the  flies 
used  are  as  sober  as  those  of  the  Erne  are  often  gaudy. 

No.  I.  The  O'Donoghue. — This  is  a  prime  favourite.  Tag, 
gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,   olive-yellow  pig's  wool,  merging  into  briglit 


292  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

fiery  claret,  and  that  again  into  black,  gold  twist ;  body, 
roughish  ;  dark  claret  hackle,  with  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ; 
wing,  a  tippet  feather,  with  brown  mallard  wing  over,  and  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  pale  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a  top- 
ping ;  body,  half  orange  pig's  wool  and  half  black,  silver 
twist ;  black  hackle  (over  black  wool  only)  ;  blue  jay  on 
shoulder  ;  wing  (mixed)  gold  pheasant  tail  and  tippet,  bittern 
wing,  mallard  and  gallina,  yellow,  green,  and  claret  sprigs, 
kingfisher  on  shoulder  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ; 
body,  mulberry  pig's  wool ;  hackle  the  same,  with  blue  jay 
at  shoulder  ;  silver  twist ;  wing,  a  tippet  feather  with  mallard 
wing  over  ;   blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  4.  The  same  as  the  last,  save  that  the  body  and  hackle 
are  of  a  lightish  olive. 

I  obtained  the  above  from  the  fishermen  at  Lough  Melvin, 
when  fishing  it  some  years  since.    Hooks  from  7  to  10. 

LOUGH   GILL 

Another  large  lough  near  Sligo.  There  is  a  very  favourite 
fly  used  there  which  sometimes  kills  on  Lough  Melvin  ;  it 
is  called  the  Lough  Gill  fly.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  orange  floss  ; 
tail,  a  topping,  and  some  mallard  ;  body,  black  mohair,  with 
a  broad  ring  in  the  centre  of  dark  dirty  red,  a  few  fibres  of  the 
same  warped  into  the  breast  as  a  hackle  ;  blue  jay  hackle  on 
shoulder ;  wing,  a  tippet  feather  and  brown  mallard  wing ; 
hook  No.  9. 

THE  MOY 

The  Moy  is  a  large  and  rather  open  river,  resembling,  above 
the  weirs,  some  of  the  streamy  upper  reaches  of  the  Thames, 
where  rush-beds  abound  ;  it  flows  from  Lough  Conn,  a  very 
large  lough.  Much  of  the  fishing,  particularly  below  the 
weir,  up  to  which  the  tide  flows,  is  carried  on  from  boats  or 
cots.  The  opening  of  the  weir  has  much  improved  the  fishing 
in  the  upper  portions,  and  has  undoubtedly  tended  to  bring 
larger  fish  into  the  river  than  were  formerly  found  in  it.  It  is  a 
capital  river  for  young  hands  to  commence  on,  as  the  work  is 
easy,  and  the  numbers  of  fish  keep  the  attention  fixed  on  the 
sport. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel;  tail,  a  topping;  butt  purple, 
herl ;  body,  three  turns  of  orange  floss,  the  rest  of  darkish 
blue  floss,  silver  tinsel  and  twist ;    dark  blue  hackle  ;   tippet 


THE  MOY  293 

tied  on  as  a  hackle  at  shoulder ;  wing,  five  or  six  toppings  ; 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  This  is  of  course  a  high  water 
fly  ;  hook  No.  9. 

No.  2.  The  Thunder  and  Lightning. — Tag,  gold  tinsel ; 
tail,  a  topping;  butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  three  turns  of 
Hghtish  orange  floss,  the  rest  of  black  floss  ;  gold  tinsel ; 
light  orange  hackle,  with  a  httle  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  dark 
brown  mallard,  one  topping  over  it  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  dark 
purple  head  ;  hooks  from  7  to  10.     (Plate  XVIII,  Fig.  3.) 

No.  3.  The  Orange  and  Grouse. — Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail, 
a  topping  and  kingfisher  feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body, 
three  turns  of  lake  floss,  and  the  rest  of  light  orange  floss  ; 
silver  tinsel  ;  hackle,  longish  grouse,  trimmed  on  the  breast, 
not  on  the  back,  three  or  four  toppings  over  it  for  wing  ;  blue 
jay  (sparely)  at  shoulder  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  and  black  head. 
The  grouse  fibres  help  the  wing.  This  and  the  last  are  good 
general  flies,  and  most  of  the  Moy  flies  are  more  or  less  generally 
useful  patterns  ;  hooks  10  to  12. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  two 
turns  of  buff  floss,  the  rest  of  lake  floss  ;  silver  tinsel ;  medium 
orange  hackle,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  tippet  and  two 
thin  cock  or  rock  feathers,  fine  strips  of  black  partridge  and 
gold  pheasant  tail,  a  topping,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  purple 
head  ;  hooks  8  to  10. 

No.  5.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ; 
body,  two  turns  of  buff  floss,  the  rest  of  copper-coloured  floss  ; 
gold  tinsel  ;  gallina  hackle,  trimmed  on  the  breast,  not  on 
back  ;  blue  jay  at  shoulder  (moderate)  ;  wing,  two  or  three 
thin  cock  of  rock  and  reddish  toucan  feathers,  sprigs  of  tippet 
and  gold  pheasant  tail,  and  brown  maUard,  one  topping,  and 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;   purple  head  ;  hooks  9  and  10. 

No.  6.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  ;  tail,  a  topping,  and  kingfisher 
feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  three  turns  of  orange 
floss,  the  rest  of  black  ditto,  or  of  black  horsehair,  which  gives 
a  brighter  and  more  durable  body  ;  gold  tinsel ;  gallina 
hackle,  trimmed  on  breast,  not  on  back  ;  wing,  brown  mallard 
one  topping,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head  ;  hooks  7  to  11. 
The  above  are  all  patterns  I  obtained  from  Pat  Hearns, 
of  Ballina,  some  years  since  :  they  are  standards.  For  so 
large  a  river  the  Moy  flies  are  small.  The  fish  are  mostly 
grilse,  and  only  grilse  flies,  and  those,  at  times,  of  small  size, 
are  needed.  In  the  spring,  when  larger  fish  are  now  taken, 
they  may  be  used  two  or  three  sizes  larger.    Writing  to  Hearns 


294  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

lately  for  patterns,  he  sent  me  all  the  old  patterns  above,  and 
with  this  addition  ;  it  is  a  beautiful  fly  to  the  eye,  so  I  give  it. 
No.  7.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  two  toppings ;  butt,  white 
ostrich  ;  body,  three  turns  of  orange  floss,  the  rest  of  violet 
floss  ;  gold  tinsel ;  dark  purple  hackle  (rather  of  a  lavender 
tint  when  held  up  to  the  Hght),  some  tippet  tied  as  a  hackle  at 
the  shoulders,  blue  jay  over  ;  wing,  six  or  seven  toppings,  with 
a  blue  chatterer  on  en  croupe  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head  ; 
hooks  7  and  8. 

LOUGH   CONN 

Patterns  also  from  Hearns.  The  Erris  flies  are  curious 
specimens  of  art,  and  by  no  means  easy  to  tie.  They  are 
mostly  jointed  flies,  many  of  them  having  also  manes  from 
the  back  of  each  joint,  and  some  with  a  turn  or  two  of  hackle, 
also  at  the  joint. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  thread;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  black 
ostrich,  five  joints,  four  of  them  being  composed  of  black 
floss,  each  divided  by  three  turns  of  gold  thread,  the  top  or 
shoulder  joint  being  of  yellow  floss  ;  at  the  third  joint  from 
the  tail  three  turns  of  an  olive  hackle  are  laid  on  ;  from  each 
joint  springs  a  mane  or  tuft  of  mohair  ;  the  lowest  one  is  dirty 
red,  the  next  light  claret,  the  next  dirty  red  again,  the  next 
darkish  purple-claret,  and  the  top  one  just  under  the  wing 
orange  ;  the  hackle  at  the  shoulder  is  a  dark  red  stained  brown, 
with  blue  jay  over  it  ;  the  wing,  mallard  and  gold  pheasant 
tail,  blue  macaw  ribs,  kingfisher  at  cheeks  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping  and  a  small  jungle 
cock ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  five  joints,  yellow  and  black 
floss  alternately,  divided  by  silver  thread,  and  above  this  one 
turn  of  a  red  hackle,  stained  light  olive  ;  manes  of  mohair, 
from  the  back  of  each  joint,  the  first  darkish  claret,  second 
dark  red,  third  darker  claret,  fourth  darker  red,  fifth  a  mixture 
of  yellow,  brown  and  red  ;  just  under,  as  a  support  to  each 
mane,  is  tied  in  a  feather  from  the  breast  of  the  Indian  crow, 
increasing  in  length  (as  do  the  manes)  as  they  progress  up 
towards  the  wing  ;  hackle,  on  shoulder,  olive  ;  red  rump 
feather  of  gold  pheasant,  tied  in  on  the  shoulder  as  a  hackle, 
over  that  again  a  turn  or  two  of  blue  jay  ;  wing,  tippet  fibres 
gold  pheasant  tail,  and  brown  mallard,  one  topping,  and  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 
■  No.  3.  This  is  No.  6  of  the  Moy  flies. 

These  flies  do  equally  well  for  the  Owenmore  and  Ballycroy. 
Hooks  from  5  to  9. 


IRISH  FLIES  295 


THE   OWENMORE   AND   BALLYCROY   RIVERS 

Patterns  from  Heams.  These  two  rivers  run  very  near  to 
each  other.  The  Ballycroy  is  the  river  described  by  Maxwell 
in  his  Wild  Sports  of  the  West.  V' 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  a  small  topping,  a  sHp  of 
black  partridge,  a  kingfisher,  and  an  Indian  crow  breast 
feather  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  three  turns  of  orange  floss, 
the  rest  of  black  floss,  silver  tinsel  ;  hackle,  gallina  stained 
yellow,  cHpped  at  breast,  not  on  the  back,  tippet  feather  tied 
on  as  hackle  at  breast,  blue  jay  over  ;  wing,  a  red  hackle  and  a 
yellow  hackle,  a  red  rump  feather  of  gold  pheasant,  sprigs  of 
tippet,  slips  of  gold  pheasant  tail  and  peacock,  a  large  blue 
chatterer  feather  over  all  en  croupe  or  on  the  back,  Indian  crow 
at  the  cheeks,  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  This  fly  can  be 
varied  by  using  lake  floss  instead  of  black. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  one  turn 
of  orange  floss ;  body,  black  floss  in  five  joints,  at  each  joint 
two  turns  of  fine  silver  thread,  then  from  the  back  comes  the 
mane,  and  then  for  the  two  middle  joints,  side  by  side  with  the 
silver  thread,  is  taken  a  turn  of  orange  floss,  so  that  the 
termination  of  the  three  lowest  joints  is  one  turn  of  orange 
floss  ;  the  two  lowest  manes  are  a  dirty  clarety  red,  the  next 
two  are  a  mixture  of  yellow,  olive,  and  light  claret  ;  the  hackle 
is  at  the  shoulder  only,  and  is  brown  olive,  and  over  it  a  little 
blue  jay  ;  the  wing,  a  slip  of  tippet,  over  it  slips  of  mallard  and 
of  peacock,  blue  macaw  ribs,  and  black  head. 

No.  3  is  The  Claret,  already  described  at  page  253,  as  to 
the  body  and  hackle,  save  that  there  is  no  orange  floss  at  the 
lower  end  ;  substitute  a  little  blue  jay  at  shoulder  for  black 
hackle,  and  make  the  wings  of  fine  dark  mallard,  with  blue  ribs, 
and  you  have  a  fly  that  will  kill  not  only  in  Erris,  but  all  over 
Ireland.  Hooks  from  6  to  10,  and  in  low  summer  water  sea- 
trout  size. 

There  are  a  great  variety  of  these  jointed  bodies  used  in 
Erris  ;  some  have  blue  and  yellow,  or  blue,  yellow,  and  black 
joints  alternately,  with  black  or  coloured  herls  or  hackles  at 
each  joint.  They  are  considered  indispensable  enchantments 
by  those  who  admire  them,  and  as  they  are  a  peculiar  class  of 
fly,  I  have  gone  into  them,  though  my  own  faith  is  by  no  means 
imphcit.  My  friend,  Mr.  S.,  and  his  cousin  rented  the  Ballycroy 
river  for  some  years,  and  I  wrote  to  him  to  ask  for  a  cast  from 
his  experience,  as,  although  I  fished  the  Owenmore  several 


296  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

times,  I  only  fished  the  Ballycroy  once.  Herewith  I  give  his 
letter  to  me,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  that  he  has  no  faith 
whatever  in  the  jointed  and  maned  flies  which  are  supposed  to 
emanate  from  and  flourish  particularly  in  Erris  : — 

"  Dear  F. — The  flies  on  the  Owenmore  and  Owenduff  rivers 
some  years  ago  were  always  what  is  called  '  jointed,'  and  were 
made  in  two  ways  ;    the  first  had  the  joints  made  of  hackles 
of  divers  colours,  tied  as  in  the  pattern  I  send  you,  but  of 
course  on  a  smaller  hook.    The  enclosed  is  a  specimen  from  the 
Dee,  in  Aberdeenshire,  to  which  river  it  was  transported  by 
Mr.  Gordon,  from  Ballycroy,  and  has  since  been  naturahsed.* 
The  other  jointed  fly  is  made  thus  :  topping  for  tail,  then  three 
different  colours  of  floss  silk  for  body,  with  three  rings  of  twist 
at  the  end  of  each,  and  standing  out  from  these  joints  three 
long  tags  of  different  coloured  mohair,  ordinary  mixed  wing, 
and  hackle  at  shoulder.    It  is  a  very  diflicult  fly  to  tie,  and  not 
worth  a  rush  when  tied,  except  that  in  its  dry  state  it  looks 
very  pretty,  when  in  the  water,  on  the  contrary,  it  all  bags 
together,  and  I  never  did  much  good  with  it.    The  fly,  on  the 
contrary,  with  the  plain  turkey  wing  was  an  invention  of  our 
own,  and  killed  48  salmon  and  137  white  trout  in  one  week, 
on  the  Owenduff.     The  fly  with  the  mallard  wing  and  fiery 
body  also  kills  right  well  on  both  rivers,  and  so  do  the  BaUina 
flies,  more  especially  one  of  Pat  Hearns',  called  the  Thunder 
and  Lightning.    An  equally  great  pet  is  the  enclosed,  with  the 
frayed  gut.     He  is  confoundedly  ugly,  sir,  having  been  com- 
posed by  your  humble  servant  ;    but  treat  him  with  respect, 
for  this  very  year  that  identical  specimen  has  slain  six  Salmo 
salar  in  the  river  Erne  that  thou  knowest  of.    I  enclose  four 
or  five  more  of  what  MacGowan  calls  Ballycroy  flies,  but  they 
are  awful  impostors  (on  second  thought  I  don't,  for  they  are  no 
use  at  all).     The  fish,  in  fact,  like  plain,  sober  mallard  and 
turkey,  and  furnace  hackles,  with  either  orange  or  brown 
bodies/and  a  jay  about  the  shoulders. 

H.  I.  S." 

Mr.  S.  enclosed  me  several  patterns,  some  with  orange  and 
green  joints,  others  of  all  the  colours  in  the  rainbow,  and  with 
manes  of  all  sorts  of  colours.    I  will  not  fatigue  the  reader  and 

*  I  never  could  understand  how  the  Nicholson,  which  was  a  regular  Erris 
notion,  got  on  to  the  Tay,  but  the  course  of  its  introduction  becomes  pretty 
clear  from  the  above.    The  fly  referred  to  strongly  resembles  the  Nicholson. 

F.  F. 


GALWAY^  RIVERS  297 

burden  my  fly  list  with  their  description,  but  will  merely 
describe  the  plain  flies  referred  to  in  the  above  letter. 

No.  4.  This  is  the  fly  that  killed  the  48  salmon  and  137  white 
trout  in  a  week.  N.B.  The  white  trout  at  Ballycroy  run  up  to 
six  or  seven  pounds  weight,  and  average  from  two  to  three 
pounds.  Tag,  gold  thread  ;  tail,  a  slip  of  mottled  brown 
turkey,  and  tuft  of  orange  mohair ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body, 
half  orange  mohair  (inchning  to  darkish)  and  half  black  mohair  ; 
black  hackle  (over  brown  mohair  only),  gold  thread  over  the 
orange,  and  gold  tinsel  over  the  black  part  of  body  ;  wing,  rich 
brown  mottled  turkey  ;  black  head. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ; 
body,  two-fifths  dark  dirty  orange-yellow  pig's  wool,  three-fifths 
darkish  claret,  broadish  gold  tinsel ;  medium  claret  hackle  at 
shoulder  ;  blue  jay  over  brown  mallard  wing,  and  black  head, 
hooks  9  and  10. 

The  fly  which  is  lauded  for  the  Erne  will  be  found  under 
that  river  as  the  H.  I.  S. 

GALWAY  AND   CONNEMARA 

(Costello,  Ballynahinch,  and  Co.) — These  patterns  are  sent 
me  by  Nicholson,  of  Galway,  who  ties  for  the  district.  Two  or 
three  of  them  are  old  acquaintances  renewed. 

The  Costello  I  do  not  know  from  experience,  but  the  Bally- 
nahinch rivers  and  lakes  I  have  fished.  The  river  is  short  and 
not  very  large,  but  what  there  is  of  it,  above  the  weir,  is  pretty. 
The  lakes  for  scenery  are  lovely,  and  the  sport  at  times  is  good, 
more  particularly  with  white  trout,  and  a  good  take  of  salmon 
may  be  got  at  times,  wind,  weather,  and  water  permitting. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ; 
body,  a  regular  Lee  body  of  silver-grey  fur,  with  cuckoo  dun 
hackle  to  match  ;  silver  twist  ;  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a 
long  tippet  (nearly  full  length  of  wing),  some  peacock,  also  a 
few  sprigs  of  green  peacock  herl,  red,  blue,  and  yellow  macaw 
sprigs — the  red  most  plentiful ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  gallina  ;  body, 
two-thirds  medium  blue  floss,  the  upper  third  medium  orange  ; 
silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  a  bright  brown-oUve,  blue  jay  on  shoulder 
wing,  gold  pheasant  tail,  cock  pheasant  ditto,  peacock,  and 
gallina,  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ; 
body,  three-fifths  medium  orange  floss,  the  upper  two-fifths 
darkish  blue  floss  ;  gold  tinsel ;  darkish  claret  hackle  ;  wing  a 


■ 


298  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

largish  tippet  feather,  brown  speckled  turkey,  gold  pheasant 
tail,  blue,  green,  and  yellow  swan,  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black 
bead. 

No.  4.  This  is  a  weird-looking  fly  ;  the  contrast  between  the 
dark  blue  body  and  light  yellow  hackle  is  so  strong.  Tag,  gold 
tinsel  and  light  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  dark  blue 
floss  ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  light  yellow,  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ; 
wing,  brown  mallard  (streaked),  gold  pheasant  tail,  and  some 
sword  feather  ;  blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  5.  Tag,  gold  twist  and  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  teal,  mallard, 
green  parrot  and  flamingo  ;  but,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  two- 
thirds  ruby  floss  and  one-third  medium  blue  ;  hackle,  darkish 
blue,  flamingo  feather  as  hackle  at  shoulder,  clipped  at  breast  ; 
wing,  a  rump  feather  of  gold  pheasant,  light  yellow-green 
parrot,  a  little  pintail  and  brown  mallard  over  all ;  blue  macaw 
ribs,  black  head.  Vary  this  fly  Vv^ith  a  black  hackle  and  all  ruby 
body,  no  blue. 

No.  6.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  light  blue  floss ;  tail,  a  topping ; 
butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  light  orange  floss;  silver  thread; 
black  hackle,  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  mottled  argus,  sprigs 
of  tippet,  green  parrot,  and  gold  pheasant  tail,  well  mixed  ; 
black  head. 

These  flies  vary  pretty  much  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
described,  from  7  to  11. 

THE   INCHIQUIN   FLY 

This  is  a  fly  used,  as  its  name  implies,  chiefly  on  the  Inchi- 
quin  lake ;  but  it  is  a  standard  pattern  throughout  the  West  of 
Ireland.  Tail,  brown  mallard,  and  some  purple  fibres  from  the 
peacock's  breast ;  body,  fiery  red  pig's  wool  (like  to  the  dark 
red  hair  or  whiskers  of  a  thorough  bog-trotter),  gold  thread  ;  a 
red  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  brown  mallard  wing,  well  backed  with 
strands  from  the  peacock's  breast.  Both  body  and  hackle  may 
be  made  darker  at  pleasure.    Hooks  10  to  11. 

THE  LENNAN  AND  LOCH  FERN  IN  DONEGAL 

The  Lennan  is  a  dull  river,  and  with  the  exception  of  close 
to  the  weir,  is  not  of  much  use  for  salmon-fishing  ;  but  Loch 
Fern,  from  which  it  runs,  gives  fair  sport  at  times.  Loch  Fern 
is  not  a  large  lake,  and  is  weedy  and  shallow  ;  it  is  hardly  worth 
going  to,  unless  the  angler  chances  to  be  going  to  or  from 
Gweedore,  via  Rathmelton. 


THE  SHANNON  299 

The  Inchiquin  fly  does  there,  and  it  will  do  better  if,  instead 
of  mallard  and  peacock  breast  wing,  plain  brown  turkey,  or 
gold  pheasant  tail  are  used.  The  body  and  hackle  can  also  be 
varied  by  being  made  more  or  less  sandy.  Pig's  wool,  from  the 
natural  white  to  the  above  red,  hackles  of  lighter  or  darker  red 
to  match,  and  wings  of  brown  turkey  or  gold  pheasant  tail,  are 
the  correct  thing.  The  flies  should  be  rough  and  well  picked 
out.    Hooks  8  to  10. 

THE   SHANNON 

The  Shannon  is  a  very  large  and  heavy  river.  The  water  in 
places  is  very  rapid,  broken,  and  dangerous  to  the  angler's 
hopes,  as  it  often  occurs  that  the  place  where  a  fish  is  hooked 
is  so  infested  witli  hidden  and  awkward  rocks  that  the  angler 
is  obliged  to  hold  on  and  not  give  a  yard  of  line  if  he  can  avoid 
it.  The  water  at  Castle  Connell  has  long  been  celebrated  as  a 
first-class  sporting  water,  and  here  the  salmon-fisher  fre- 
quently has  magnificent  sport.  At  Killaloe  the  water  is  more 
open  and  easy.  Lough  Derg,  an  expansion  of  the  Shannon, 
gives  splendid  large  trout-fishing,  and  when  the  fish  are  in  the 
humour,  great  numbers  are  taken  with  the  cross  line.  As  on 
the  Moy,  much  of  the  fishing  is  done  from  cots. 

The  large  heavy  water  Shannon  flies  are  very  showy  affairs. 
Here  is  one  dressed  for  me  by  poor  Blacker,  years  ago.  It  is 
quite  a  work  of  art. 

No.  I.  The  Shannon  (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  4).— Tag,  gold 
tinsel  and  lemon-yellow  floss ;  tail,  two  toppings,  scarlet 
ibis  and  blue  macaw ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  of  floss  silk, 
in  joints  of  various  colour,  pale  blue,  orange,  puce,  and  pea- 
green,  every  joint  being  mounted  by  a  turn  of  ostrich  herl  of 
the  same  colour  as  the  joint  and  over  this  a  hackle  of  the 
same  tint  ;  at  the  shoulder  one  or  two  gold  pheasant  rump 
feathers  are  used  as  hackles  ;  gold  thread  warped  on  each 
joint  separately  ;  wing,  two  bright  yellow  macaw  feathers, 
with  black  streak  down  the  centre,  a  strip  of  dark-specked 
argus  on  either  side,  and  sprigs  of  tippet  ditto,  two  or  three 
slips  of  ibis  at  shoulder,  and  over  them,  on  either  cheek,  a 
small  feather  of  purple  lory,  two  or  three  large  toppings  over 
all ;  blue  macaw  ribs,  and  black  head  ;  hook  No.  2.  I  do  not 
think  the  jointed  body  by  any  means  necessary,  nor  is  it  used 
generally  on  the  Shannon.  The  wing  given  is,  I  know,  pretty 
much  used,  when  the  feathers  can  be  obtained,  but  the  yellow 
macaw  feathers  of  the  right  size  are  not  easy  to  obtain,  and 


I 


300  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

make  the  fly  expensive  to  dress.  Probably  an  orange  body 
would  answer  all  requisites,  as  orange  is  in  favour  on  the 
Shannon. 

The  next  three  flies  are  dressed  by  Stephen  ElHs,  of  Killaloe, 
one  of  the  best  practitioners  on  the  Shannon  in  that  part,  and 
they  are  considered  the  best  patterns  which  can  be  put  on  the 
river. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  one  large 
topping  ;  body,  darkish  blue  floss,  silver  tinsel ;  blue  jay 
hackle  half-way  down  the  body  ;  wing,  a  deep  red-orange 
feather  (cock  of  the  rock  might  do)  about  the  length  of  the 
hook,  on  either  side  of  this  two  shorter  orange-yellow  macaw 
feathers,  and  a  smallish  tippet  outside  of  them,  over  these  an 
orange  hackle,  and  over  this  four  or  five  large  toppings,  over 
these  some  gold  pheasant  tail  and  gaUina  sprigs  (loose), 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  medium  orange  ruff  of  mohair ;  hook 
No.  4. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  medium  green  floss  ;  tail  two 
orange-yellow  toucan  feathers  (short)  ;  body,  brightish  orange 
floss,  silver  tinsel ;  brown  olive  hackle,  a  turn  or  two  of  blue 
jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  short  cock  of  the  rock,  and  two  short 
orange-yellow  macaw  or  toucan  feathers,  these  not  quite  so 
long  as  the  hook,  over  them  mixed  sprigs  of  gaUina  stained 
yellow,  blue,  and  red  macaw  ;  head  black  ;  hook  No.  9. 

No.  4  is  a  fly  with  a  similar  body,  tinsel,  and  hackle,  with 
a  couple  of  small  yellow  toucan  feathers  for  tail,  and  a  wing  of 
mixed  yellow  stained  mallard,  tippet,  gaUina,  and  red  and 
lavender  macaw  ;  black  head  ;  hook  No.  10. 

These  two  flies  are  rather  grilse  flies  ;  but  a  size  or  two 
larger,  they  do  equally  well  for  salmon.  The  list  is  rather  a 
short  one,  but  Mr.  Hurley,  of  Killaloe,  who  forwards  me  the 
patterns,  says  that — 

*'  They  answer  for  all  the  stations  where  fish  are  killed  in 
any  quantity,  say  Limerick,  Castle  Connel,  and  Killaloe.  The 
large  fly  is  only  adapted  for  heavy  water,  in  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  season,  and  up  to  May  i.  The  medium  size 
orange  body  is  in  use  from  that  date  until  June  i,  according  to 
the  height  of  the  water  ;  the  small  blue  body  then  comes  in  for 
both  peal  and  salmon  until  the  close  time." 

I  also  wrote  to  Mr.  Brady,  the  inspector  of  fisheries  for 
Ireland,  to  ask  him  for  some  Shannon  patterns,  and  he  sent 
me  several,  as  the  handiwork  of  Captain  C.  Dunne,  a  first-rate 
angler,  and,  if  I  may  judge  of  his  productions,  a  first-rate  fly 


KILLARNEY  301 

tyer  also.  The  flies  he  sends  are  capital  general  flies,  and  would 
kill  anywhere. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  light  orange  floss  ;  tail,  sprigs 
of  green,  hue,  yellow,  and  red  ;  body,  ruby  floss,  silver  twist ; 
hackle,  medium  claret,  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed  fibres, 
red,  green,  and  blue,  and  gaUina,  with  a  small  bunch  of  tippet 
in  the  middle,  two  slices  of  brown  mallard  over,  red  macaw 
ribs,  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  ruby  floss  ;  tail,  red,  yellow, 
and  green,  and  tippet  sprigs  ;  body,  orange-yellow  floss ; 
tinsel,  hackles,  wing  and  head  as  before. 

No.  3  is  The  Claret,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  dark  blue 
fibres  thrown  in  amongst  the  claret  body,  which  has  a  very 
pretty  effect,  and  a  jay  hackle  at  shoulder,  instead  of  black. 
The  wing,  too,  is  dressed  very  much  as  in  the  last  two  flies. 

No.  /\  is  A  Claret,  without  the  blue  fibres,  and  with  ruby 
floss  instead  of  orange,  at  the  tail  end  of  the  body  ;  jay  at  the 
shoulder  ;  and  wing,  as  in  the  last,  with  the  addition  of  two  or 
three  fibres  of  green  peacock  herl. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  ruby  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
body,  black  floss  ;  hackle,  medium  claret,  jay  at  shoulder, 
silver  twist  ;  wing,  as  above,  with  a  little  more  blue  in  it. 
Reduced  in  size,  this  is  a  capital  Connemara  white  trout  fly. 

No.  6.  Tag,  as  in  the  last  ;  tail,  mixed  fibres  as  above  ; 
body,  greenish  olive-yellow  floss,  silver  thread  ;  hackle,  brown 
oUve,  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  as  in  No.  i  ;  black  head,  as  have 
all  these  flies.    Hooks  7,  8,  and  9. 

KILLARNEY  AND   THE   FLESK 

The  far-famed  lakes  of  Killamey  often  hold  a  good  many 
salmon,  but  the  nets  and  cross  lines  make  single-rod  fishing 
rather  a  precarious  sport.  The  Flesk,  which  runs  into  the 
head  of  the  lakes,  is  a  pretty  little  river,  but  wants  water  to 
show  any  sport.  A  day  or  two's  rain,  however,  brings  it  down, 
when  the  fish  move  up  out  of  the  lakes,  and  a  brace  or  two  may 
then  be  taken  if  the  opportunity  is  seized,  but  it  runs  down 
almost  as  quickly  as  it  rises.  The  Killarney  lakes  give  very 
early  fish. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  tippet  and  a  kingfisher 
feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  darkish  medium  blue 
floss  ;  hackle,  blue  jay  all  the  way  up,  orange  at  shoulder  ; 
wing,  brown  turkey,  blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  ;   tail,  a  topping  and  bit  of  mallard 


I 


302  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  kingfisher  feather ;  butt,  red  wool ;  body,  darkish  medium 
blue  floss  ;  hackle,  blue  jay  all  the  way  up,  orange  at  shoulder  ; 
wing,  brown  turkey,  blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  3.  Tag,  ruby  silk ;  tail,  mallard  and  tippet ;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  pale  oUve-green  floss,  gold  tinsel ;  hackle, 
medium  blue,  brown-olive  at  shoulder ;  wing,  mixed  brown 
turkey,  argus,  and  gold  pheasant  tail ;  head,  blue  ostrich. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  lemon-yellow  wool ;  tail,  fibres 
of  mallard,  gallina,  a  topping  and  kingfisher  feather  ;  body, 
copper-coloured  mohair  ;  hackle,  medium  blue  ;  wing,  brown 
turkey  and  gold  pheasant  mixed,  with  fibres  of  blue  macaw ; 
black  head.  The  bodies  are  sparely  dressed.  Hooks  Nos.  6,  7, 
and  8. 

THE  LAUNE 

The  salmon  enter  Killarney  through  the  Laune,  in  the 
upper  part  ofjwhich  good  sport  is  often  had.  The  Laune  is  a 
fine  wide  river,  rather  heavy  down  towards  Killorglin,  but 
streamy  and  likely  in  the  upper  reaches.  The  fish  do  not  rest 
long  in  it  in  the  early  part  of  the  season,  when  they  make  at 
once  for  the  lakes.  Later  on,  however,  good  sport  may  be 
got  in  it. 

No.  I.  Tag,  orange  floss;  tail,  tippet  sprigs;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  half  bright  medium  green,  and  half  fight 
orange  floss,  gold  tinsel  (narrow)  ;  medium  blue  hackle ; 
brown  hackle  (not  too  long  in  fibre)  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  brown 
turkey,  with  a  few  fibres  of  tippet  and  blue  macaw  thrown  in. 

No.  2.  This  fly  resembles  the  last,  save  that  the  body  is  in 
four  joints  :  ruby,  red,  and  orange  alternately.  The  main 
hackle  is  blue  jay,  and  there  is  a  topping  on  the  tail. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  tippet  sprigs  and  kingfisher 
feather;  butt,  black  ostrich;  body,  medium  orange  floss, 
gold  tinsel  (narrow)  :  hackle,  grouse,  clipped  all  round  ;  light 
orange  hackle  at  shoulder  (short)  ;  wing,  a  tippet  feather,  gold 
pheasant  tail  au  naturel,  and  a  small  portion  stained  claret ; 
head,  black. 

All  the  Laune  bodies  must  be  dressed  as  spare  as  possible, 
the  hackles  are  short  in  fibre,  and  of  the  same  size  as  in  the 
Killarney  and  Flesk  flies  ;  and  a  peculiarity  of  the  fishermen 
in  this  part  of  the  world  is,  that  they  use  a  hook  some  two  sizes 
larger  in  the  bend  than  would  commonly  be  used  for  the  same 
fly,  breaking  off  a  piece  of  the  shank  of  the  hook  to  get  the  fly 
to  the  right  size. 


THE  LEE,  CORK  303 

The  flies  for  Killamey,  the  Flesk,  and  Laune,  were  tied  for 
me  by  the  fishermen  there,  when  I  was  fishing  in  that  quarter 
some  years  ago. 

THE   LEE,    CORK 

The  Lee  is  in  parts  rather  a  quiet  placid  river  ;  in  many 
places,  however,  it  breaks  out  into  fine  bold  pools  and  streams, 
which  form  the  very  beau-ideal  of  the  angler.  It  is  not  a  very 
early  river,  though  occasionally  giving  a  spring  fish  or  two  to  the 
persevering  angler ;  but  it  gives  capital  sport  later  on.  In 
parts  it  is  a  good  deal  cross  lined. 

No.  I.  The  Yellow  Anthony. — Tag,  silver  twist ;  tail,  a 
topping ;  butt,  a  scrap  of  yellow  mohair ;  body,  bluish  silver- 
grey  wool  or  fur  ;  fine  silver  twist ;  silver  grey  dun  hackle  ; 
dirty  yellow  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  bit  of  peacock  with 
mallard  over  it,  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  The  Orange  Anthony. — Tag  and  tail  as  before;  butt, 
a  scrap  of  orange  mohair ;  body,  three  turns  of  darkish  blue 
mohair ;  the  rest  bluish  silver-grey  as  before,  a  darkish  blue 
hackle  over  the  blue  part,  and  silver-grey  cuckoo  dun  over  the 
grey  part ;  medium  orange  hackle  on  shoulder ;  wing,  as 
before  with  kingfisher  on  either  cheek. 

No.  3  is  similar  to  No.  2,  save  that  for  orange  butt  and  hackle, 
medium  claret  is  to  be  substituted,  and  a  few  tippet  sprigs  let 
into  the  wing  and  no  kingfisher. 

No.  4  is  similar  to  No.  i,  save  that  it  has  blue  jay  ^hackle 
for  yellow,  some  tippet  sprigs  in  the  wing,  and  kingfisher  at  the 
cheeks. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  twist;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  claret 
mohair ;  body,  two-thirds  bluish  silver-grey  fur,  cuckoo  dun 
hackle  over  it  to  match,  clipped,  the  rest  of  body  darkish  blue 
mohair  with  medium  blue  hackle  over  ;  silver  twist ;  brown 
claret  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  strips  of  gold  pheasant  tail, 
brown  mallard  and  peacock,  a  few  tippet  and  black  partridge 
fibres,  blue  macaw  ribs,  kingfisher  at  cheeks  ;  black  head. 

No.  6.  Tag,  gold  twist ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  dark  brown 
claret  pig's  wool ;  gold  twist  ;  hackle  very  dark  blue,  blue  jay 
at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  few  fibres  of  tippet  and  bastard  bustard 
with  dark  brown  mallard  wing  over  ;  blue  macaw  ribs,  largish 
kingfisher  at  cheeks  ;  black  head. 

Blacker  used  to  dress  some  of  these  flies  in  distinct  joints, 
with  a  short  hackle  at  either  joint,  as  in  his  "  spirit  flies  "  as 
he  called  them,  but  this  does  not  make  any  addition  to  their 


I 


304  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

attractiveness,  and  it  certainly  is  no  slight  addition  in  the 
trouble  of  trying.  The  above  are  patterns  I  bought  of  Hackett, 
of  Cork,  when  fishing  the  rivers  in  that  neighbourhood  some 
years  since.    Hooks  from  5  or  6  to  9. 


THE   BLACKWATER    (MALLOW) 

Nos.  I,  2,  and  3  of  the  Lee  flies  one  size  smaller  will  do  for 
the  Blackwater.  The  Blue  Doctor,  dressed  with  medium  floss 
body,  blue  jay  hackle  and  an  orange-yellow  hackle  at  shoulder, 
with  a  sober  wing  of  tippet  and  green  parrot  sprigs  and  brown 
mallard  over,  and  black  head,  does  well.  The  Orange  and 
Grouse  (see  Moy  flies)  with  a  sober  tail  and  wing  of  gold 
pheasant  tail,  brown  mallard,  green  and  red  parrot  sprigs,  and 
minus  the  puce  floss,  with  a  blue  jay  hackle  at  shoulder,  is  also 
a  favourite. 

The  following  three  flies  I  got  with  others  lately  from 
Haynes,  of  Patrick  Street,  Cork.  His  flies  are  beautifully  tied, 
and  show  all  the  marks  of  a  first-rate  artist. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss ;  tail,  black 
partridge,  tippet  and  mallard  sprigs ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ; 
body  grey  fur  (same  colour  as  in  the  Lee  flies)  for  one-third  of 
the  body,  the  remaining  two-thirds  of  medium  yellowish-green 
mohair ;  hackles  to  match,  silver-grey  cuckoo  dun  (clipped) 
over  the  grey,  and  green  of  the  same  shade  over  the  green, 
orange  hackle  at  shoulder ;  narrow  gold  tinsel ;  wing  slips 
from  the  streaked  feather  of  the  gold  pheasant's  tail,  brown 
mallard  over,  sprigs  of  red  and  green  parrot ;  blue  macaw 
ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping,  and  some  tippet ; 
butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  darkish  blue,  claret  and  grey  fur, 
with  blue  claret  and  grey  hackles  to  match,  the  lower  (or  blue 
one)  clipped,  yellow  hackle  at  shoulder,  with  a  turn  or  so  of 
black  hackle  over  it ;  wing,  sprigs  of  bustard,  brown  turkey, 
tippet,  green  parrot,  and  brown  mallard  over  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver,  tinsel  and  orange  floss;  tail,  sprigs  of 
tippet ;  mallard,  green  mohair,  and  gallina  stained  pale  blue  ; 
body,  apple-green  floss,  fine  gold  twist,  blue  jay  hackle  all  up, 
orange  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  gold  pheasant  tail  (streaked), 
bustard,  green  parrot,  mallard  over  ;  black  head. 

The  orange  and  grouse  and  apple-green  may  be  dressed 
smaller  for  summer  wear. 


CARAGH  AND  LOUGH  CURRANE  305 

THE  CARAGH  AND  LOUGH  CURRANE  (WATERVILLE) 

The  upper  part  of  the  Caragh  is  rather  dull  and  heavy.  The 
lower  part,  however,  improves  and  gives  some  good  pools  and 
streams.  It  yields  some  sport,  but  would  give  very  fine  sport 
if  the  fish  had  but  fair  play  ;  but  what  with  the  weir,  the  nets, 
and  the  crosslines,  they  are  woefully  harried.  Lough  Currane  is 
a  fine  sheet  of  water.  The  river,  however,  is  short  ;  it  yields 
very  fine  white  trout  and  a  salmon  or  two  on  any  tolerable 
day. 

The  same  flies  kill  both  on  Lough  Currane  and  the  Caragh, 
and  they  are  for  the  most  part  of  much  the  same  character  as 
those  for  the  Lee  and  Blackwater,  greys,  blues,  and  clarets 
running  more  or  less  through  them. 

No.  I  is  like  No.  i  in  the  Lee  flies,  save  that  it  has  a  medium 
blue  instead  of  a  yellow  hackle  at  the  shoulder,  and  tippet 
instead  of  peacock  in  the  wing.  It  is  dressed  of  large  sea  trout 
size  for  summer  or  Nos.  10  or  11. 

No.  2  resembles  No.  3  in  the  Lee  flies,  save  that  the  grey  and 
claret  are  reversed  in  position,  and  the  hackle  at  the  shoulder 
is  medium  blue.    Hook  No.  7. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  one  topping  ; 
body  and  hackles,  dark  blue  and  dark  claret  (half  and  half)  ; 
gaUina  stained  pale  blue  hackled  on  the  shoulder  ;  fine  gold 
twist  ;  wing  (streaked),  gold  pheasant  tail,  some  tippet,  brown 
mallard  over,  kingfisher  at  cheek  ;  black  head  ;  hook  7  or  8. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  tippet  and 
mallard  ;  body,  dark  blue  mohair  ;  silver  twist  ;  hackle,  very 
dark  blue,  blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  tippet,  peacock,  red 
parrot,  and  mallard  over  ;  black  head  ;  hook  10  or  11. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  brown 
mallard  and  tippet ;  body,  dirty  dark  brown-oUve  ;  hackle 
the  same,  Hght  orange  hackle  on  shoulder  ;  fine  gold  twist ; 
wing,  tippet,  bastard  bustard,  and  brown  mallard  over,  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  black  head  ;  hook  10  or  11. 

No.  6.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  tippet,  a 
topping,  green  parrot  and  mallard  ;  body,  dirty  oHve-yellow 
pig's  wool ;  gold  twist  ;  hackle,  medium  blue,  Hght  orange  on 
shoulder  ;  wing,  tippet,  gold  pheasant  tail,  green  parrot  and 
brown  mallard  over  ;  hook  8  and  9.  Years  ago,  I  had  this 
pattern  of  Blacker,  when  starting  up  to  Thurso,  and  I  never 
could  make  out  what  part  of  the  country  it  hailed  from,  for  I 
never  could  kill  with  it  though  much  Hking  the  look  of  the  fly, 


I 


3o6  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  often  trying  it.  Mr.  Haynes  has  solved  the  mystery  for  me. 
Finding  the  root  of  a  fly  is  more  interesting  to  me  than  finding 
Greek  roots  used  to  be. 

All  the  above  patterns  are  from  Haynes,  as  are  those  for  the 
Kerry  Blackwater  which  follow. 


THE   KERRY  BLACKWATER 

The  same  character  of  flies  prevails  here. 

No.  I  is  like  the  Lee  No.  i,  without  the  yellow  hackle  at 
the  shoulder,  and  with  a  little  claret  mohair  as  a  tag  to  counter- 
poise, and  a  strip  of  red  parrot  in  the  wing. 
r"  No.  2  is  an  Orange  Anthony  (Lee  No.  2)  without  the  king- 
fisher. 

No.  3  is  No.  2  in  the  Cork  Blackwater.  The  colours  running 
blue,  grey  in  the  middle,  and  claret,  with  a  yellow  hackle  on 
the  shoulder,  and  blue  jay  over  it ;  wing,  tippet,  hen  pheasant, 
red  and  green  parrot,  and  brown  mallard  over. 

No.  4  is  a  dark  Blue  Doctor  for  the  lower  two-thirds  of  its 
body,  the  upper  third  being  an  orange  floss  ;  blue  jay  hackle, 
and  orange  at  shoulder ;  wing,  tippet  and  mallard  ;  blue 
macaw  ribs,  and  black  head. 

^    No.  5  is  a  plain  Yellow  Anthony,  with  a  bit  of  apple-green 
floss  in  the  tag. 

No.  6.  Silver  tinsel  tag  ;  tail,  mallard,  tippet,  and  lavender 
macaw ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  medium  orange  floss,  fine 
gold  thread ;  greenish-olive  hackle,  blue  jay  on  shoulder ; 
wing,  peacock,  red  parrot,  yellow  swan,  and  brown  mallard 
over  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  These  flies  vary  from 
7  or  8  to  10  or  11. 

THE  sum 
To  obtain  patterns  of  the  Suir  and  Nore,  I  wrote  to  Mr. 
Brady,   and   he   most   kindly   forwarded   me   the   following 
patterns,  with  a  note  from  a  resident  on  the  river,  Mr.  Staples, 
an  extract  from  which  note  I  append. 

"  I  have  not  fished  either  Nore  or  Suir  for  two  years.  There 
has  not  been  a  fish  up  the  Nore  past  Kilkenny  this  year,  after 
all  our  trouble  and  expense,  owing  to  the  perfect  system  of 
poaching  estabhshed  on  that  unfortunate  river  ;  I  have,  there- 
fore, only  a  few  old  patterns  to  send  you.  The  two  flies  marked, 
*  My  own  pattern  best  kind/  I  found  to  beat  every  other  fly  on 


THE  sum  307 

the  Suir,  tied  to  suit  the  water,  large  or  small,  and  with  the  silk 
body  either  blue,  with  blue  hackle,  or  yellow  or  dark  orange 
over  dark  purple  or  dark  mauve-coloured  silk  ;  in  this  manner 
it  can  be  varied  to  suit  any  taste  ;  you  must  use  argus  pheasant 
hackle  round  the  shoulders.  Both  these  flies  are  tied  by  my- 
self, and  have  killed  many  fish. 

"  The  Httle  grey  fly  is  also  famous  to  the  Suir,  and  the  other 
flies  I  have  found  very  good  on  the  Nore." 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange-yellow  floss  ;  tail,  sprigs 
of  bastard  bustard  and  ibis ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  red 
plum-coloured  floss  ;  silver  twist ;  light  orange  hackle,  argus 
pheasant  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  good  bunch  of  green 
peacock  herl,  with  strips  of  brown  turkey  with  dun  points 
mixed,  one  topping  over  all ;  black  head  ;  hook  No.  5. 

No.  2  has  a  similar  body  and  hackles  ;  a  topping  for  tail, 
and  lemon  tag  ;  a  small  tippet  feather  for  under  wing,  a  little 
green  peacock,  some  brown  mallard,  and  a  strand  or  two  of 
gallina  and  grey  mallard,  stained  yellow,  with  blue  macaw  ribs. 
See,  for  the  varying  of  these  two  flies,  Mr.  Staples'  letter.  Hook 
No.  10. 

No.  3.  The  grey  fly  referred  to  is  not  much  bigger  than  a 
trout  fly;  tag,  silver  tinsel;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  a  turn  of  orange  floss,  and  the  rest  silver-grey 
fur  ;  very  pale  yellow  hackle  at  shoulder  only  ;  wing,  a  few 
1^  sprigs  of  small  tippet,  brown  mallard  over  it,  and  yellow  galUna 
If  over  that  (wing  rather  thin)  ;  black  head.  The  size  of  the  flies 
must  be  varied  to  suit  the  water. 

Subsequently  I   received  other  flies  through  Mr.   Brady, 

IH  for  the  early  spring  fishing ;    I  select  two.     In  spring,  the 

■^  bodies  are  tied  roughly  of  pig's  wool ;    silk  bodies  come  in 

later,  and  comprise  either  orange,  yellow,  or  green,  with  a  red 

hackle. 

1^  No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel,  and  bright  yellow  pig's  wool ;  tail, 
K  a  strand  or  two  of  bustard,  gold  pheasant  tail,  red  parrot  and 
mallard;  body,  medium  blue  pig's  wool  (dressed  large  and 
rough)  ;  silver  tinsel ;  blue  jay  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing, 
peacock  herl  (the  blue  eye  of  the  feather  forming  the  butt  end 
of  the  wing)  ;  head,  rough,  and  of  yellow  pig's  wool. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  tinsel,  and  black  pig's  wool ;   tail,  green 
peacock  herl,  some  tippet  and  blue  macaw ;   body,  one-third 
dirty  brown  red,  better  than  another  third  of  dirty  olive- 
IB  y^^^^^  P^S'^  wool,  the  rest  black  ;  gold  tinsel ;  wing,  peacock 

I 


3o8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

herl,  with  the  eye  at  the  butt  as  before ;  head,  rough,  of  red  pig's 
wool.    Hooks  respectively  3  and  4. 

THE   NORE 

The  patterns  for  the  Nore  are  also  from  Mr.  Staples. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  olive-yellow  pig's  wool ;  tail, 
bustard,  red  parrot,  and  a  topping  ;  body,  very  dark  purple- 
blue  pig's  wool  (rather  rough)  ;  blue  jay  hackle  at  shoulder, 
moderate,  and  not  too  much  of  it ;  silver  tinsel ;  wing,  a 
bunch  of  green  peacock  herl,  with  brown  mallard  over,  inter- 
spersed with  a  httle  grey  mallard,  stained  light  yellow  or  buff, 
and  one  topping  ;  head,  olive-yellow  pig's  wool. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  tinsel,  and  medium  blue  pig's  wool ;  tail, 
blue  macaw  ;  body,  oUve-yellow  pig's  wool,  rough,  and  picked 
out  at  the  breast ;  hackle,  a  golden  olive  (or  rather  orange) 
with  a  vivid  black  centre,  at  the  shoulder  ;  gold  tinsel ;  wing, 
a  bunch  of  copper-coloured  peacock  herl,  and  a  good  slip  or  two 
of  blue  macaw  over  it.  This  is  a  striking-looking  fly,  owing  to 
the  hackle  chiefly. 

No.  3,  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  lightish  blue  pig's  wool  ;  tail, 
Indian  jay,  and  fibres  of  a  buff  hackle  ;  body,  dark  red  (tending 
to  claret)  pig's  wool,  rough  and  picked  out  ;  gold  tinsel ; 
lightish  blue  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  as  in  the  last  fly,  with  a 
slip  of  red  parrot  or  macaw  added. 

No.  4  is  a  small  Galway  pattern  ;  tag,  gold  twist  and  orange 
floss ;  tail,  a  topping ;  body,  lake  floss ;  hackle,  gallina 
trimmed  on  the  breast ;  fine  silver  tinsel ;  a  turn  or  two  of 
blue  jay  on  shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed  gold  pheasant  tail,  gallina, 
tippet,  bustard,  mallard,  green  sprigs  ;  blue  macaw  ribs,  and  a 
short  kingfisher  feather  ;  black  head.  The  flies  run  from  No.  7 
to  12. 

The  Nore  is  more  of  a  summer  river  than  the  Suir,  and  the 
above  pattern  will  kill  well  late  in  the  season. 

THE   BUSH 

Is  a  smallish  and  not  very  interesting  river,  being  dull  and 

heavy,  and  wanting  in  that  briskness  of  stream  and  broken 

water  which  the  experienced  salmon-fisher  loves  to  see  ;   but 

like  many  other  rivers  of  the  same  nature,  it  often  holds  a 

large  quantity  of  fish,  and  in  suitable  weather  gives  good  takes 

to  the  rod.* 

*  It  is  a  very  early  river,  good  sport  being  sometimes  had  in  February ; 
whereas  in  the  Bann,  a  river  six  times  the  size  of  the  Bush,  flowing  into  the 
sea  only  six  miles  to  the  west  of  that  Uttle  river,  no  salmon  run  until  near 
midsummer. — Ed, 


THE  BUSH  309 

The  following  four  flies  were  also  made  for  me,  through  the 
agency  of  my  friend  Mr.  Brady,  by  Wm.  Doherty  and  Son,  fly 
tyers,  of  Bushmills,  whose  handiwork  is  of  a  very  neat  and 
masterly  description,  and  who  are  the  best  authorities  upon  all 
flies  for  the  North  of  Ireland. 

No.  I  is  called  the  Butcher  Fly,  though  it  is  not  the  fly 
known  elsewhere  as  the  Butcher.  Tag,  silver  thread  and 
light  orange  floss  ;  tail,  two  or  three  fibres  of  tippet,  blue 
macaw  and  mallard ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  dark  red 
claret  mohair  ;  narrow  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  the  same  colour 
as  the  body,  Ughtish  blue  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  brown 
mallard,  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  The  Judge. — Tag,  silver  thread  and  light  orange 
floss  ;  tail,  one  topping ;  butt,  peacock  herl ;  body,  silver  tinsel; 
hackle,  a  golden-olive  or  yellow-orange  (the  colour  is  something 
between  these  two),  red  orange  at  shoulder,  blue  jay  over  it  ; 
wing,  mixed  of  peacock,  bustard  with  a  few  fibres  of  tippet,  two 
toppings  over,  and  blue  macaw  ribs ;  peacock  herl  head. 
A  very  tasty  fly. 

No.  3.  The  McGildowny. — Tag,  as  before  ;  tail,  same  as 
No.  I ;  butt,  peacock  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  light  orange  floss, 
the  rest  yellow  mohair  ;  narrow  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  a  dirty 
medium  brickdust  red  (dressed  only  two-thirds  down),  blue  jay 
at  shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed  bustard,  mallard,  tippet  (pretty 
plentiful),  and  a  little  peacock  ;  head,  peacock  herl. 

No.  4.  The  Early. — This  is  the  same  as  No.  i,  save  that  the 
butt  is  yellow  mohair  ;  the  body  and  hackle  are  some  two 
shades  lighter,  and  there  is  a  tippet  feather  for  the  under 
wing  ;  hooks  Nos.  6  and  7. 

The  following  two  flies  are  from  Farlow's  : — 

No.  I.  Powell's  Fancy. — Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ; 
tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  peacock  herl ;  body,  two  turns  of  orange 
floss,  the  rest  orange  pig's  wool  (lighter  towards  tail,  dark 
towards  shoulder),  gold  tinsel,  just  above  and  beside  it,  a 
narrow  thread  of  red,  almost  scarlet  floss  ;  hackle,  bright 
red -orange,  blue  jay  on  shoulder;  wing,  gold  pheasant 
tail,  bastard  bustard,  brown  mallard,  some  tippet,  grey 
mallard  stained  yellow,  wood-duck,  red  macaw  ribs  ;  black 
head. 

No.  2.  The  Grace. — Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping  ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  dark  rich  ruby  floss  ; 
thick  gold  twist ;  hackle,  bright  reddish  claret,  medium  orange 
hackle  at  shoulder,  with  blue  jay  over  it ;  wings,  peacock,  gold 


I 


310  A  BOOK   ON  ANGLING 

pheasant  tail,  bustard,  and  wood  duck,  one  topping ;    blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  and  black  head  ;  hooks  Nos.  6  to  8. 

THE    BANN 

The  following  four  flies  are  also  by  WiUiam  Doherty  and 
Son  : — 

No.  I.  The  Garibaldi  Fly. — This  is  an  invention  of  Doherty 's, 
and  a  showy-looking  fly  it  is.  It  is  tied  in  three  joints  ;  tag, 
silver  thread  and  lemon  floss;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  green 
peacock  herl ;  first  joint  yellow-orange,  three  turns  of  silver 
thread  at  joint,  then  yellowish-olive  hackle  and  green  peacock 
herl  above  it  ;  second  joint  a  shade  redder  orange,  hackle,  etc., 
as  before,  the  hackle  a  ruddier  tinge  in  the  olive  ;  third  joint 
same  as  last,  with  light  claret  hackle,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ; 
under  wing,  two  good-sized  full-length  tippet  feathers,  slips  of 
brown  jay  on  either  side,  a  topping  over  all ;  red  and  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  head,  green  peacock  herl. 

No.  2.  The  Golden-olive  Fly. — This  is  a  Ballyshannon 
pattern  ;  at  least  a  fly  very  much  resembling  it  is  used  there. 
Tag,  silver  thread,  and  medium  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a  topping ; 
butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body,  golden-yellow  floss ;  gold  tinsel  and 
gold  thread  side  by  side  ;  hackle,  golden-olive,  blue  jay  at 
shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed  bustard,  grey  mallard,  and  peacock,  a 
few  fibres  of  tippet  and  red  parrot,  one  topping,  red  and  blue 
macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  The  Blue  Jay. — This  is  the  Blue  Doctor  dressed  with 
jay,  instead  of  blue  hackle,  with  a  mixed  wing  as  before,  and 
one  topping. 

No.  4.  The  Green  Grouse. — Tag,  gold  thread  and  reddish 
orange  floss;  tail,  a  topping;  butt,  brown  ostrich;  body, 
pea-green  floss,  narrow  gold  tinsel ;  hackle,  grouse,  yellow- 
oHve  at  shoulder ;  wing,  mixed  bustard,  grey  mallard  and 
tippet,  one  topping  and  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  head,  black  ostrich  ; 
hooks  from  4  to  7. 


r 


CHAPTER  XII 

SALMON    FLIE  S— continued 
List  of  Flies  for  Wales  and  England — List  of  Sea  Trout  Flics 

THE   USK 


NO.  I.  The  Llanover. — This  fly  being  the  production 
of  the  late  Lord  Llanover,  I  have  distinguished  it 
by  his  name.  It  is  one  of  the  best  killers  on  the 
Usk.  Tag,  silver  twist  ;  tail,  a  topping.  The 
body  is  a  Namsen  body  (see  Namsen,  p.  254)  ;  hackle  at 
shoulder,  a  dirty  smudgy  coch  y  bondu  hackle ;  wing,  mixed 
brown  (mottled)  turkey,  bastard  bustard,  pintail,  blue,  yellow, 
and  claret  swan  (the  first  most  plentiful),  a  topping  over  all, 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  and  peacock  herl  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  twist  ;  tail,  a  topping ;  body,  one  half 
orange  and  yellow  pig's  wool  mixed,  the  other  half  lemon  pig's 
wool ;  hackle,  light  orange  ;  the  hackles  in  all  Usk  and  Wye 
flies  are  long  and  full,  and  dressed  from  head  to  tail ;  silver 
tinsel ;  wing,  a  pair  of  bittern  hackles  with  strips  of  bustard, 
and  wood-duck  over  them  ;  blue  macaw  ribs. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  twist  ;  tail,  sprigs  of  gold  pheasant  sword 
feather  and  yellow  macaw  ;  body,  olive  and  yellow  pig's  wool 
mixed,  doubled  gold  twist  ;  silver-grey  dun  hackle,  blue  jay  at 
shoulder  ;  wing,  a  bunch  of  bronze  peacock  herl ;  hooks  from 
6  to  8.    Patterns  from  Farlow. 

No.  4.  Another  fly  that  kills  well,  and  which  was  dressed 
for  me  by  one  of  the  Martins,  of  Brecon,  when  I  was  there,  is  a 
yellowish  buff  wool  body,  rather  full ;  bright  yellow  hackle, 
and  wing  of  a  pair  of  the  under  wing  feathers  of  the  snipe,  or 
similar  ones  from  under  a  hawk's  wing,  stained  medium  yellow  ; 
tail,  grey  mallard,  stained  yellow,  and  a  kingfisher  feather. 
This  fly  is  varied  with  a  lighter  buff  body  and  a  grizzled  blue 
dun  hackle,  or  with  a  light  green  crewel  tail,  and  unstained 
ribbed  feathers  from  under  the  woodcock's  wing. 

The  following  four  are  by  Peake,  of  Abergavenny,  a  well- 
known  local  maker  and  first-rate  practical  authority  : 

311 


312  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  two  slips  of  red  parrot  and 
pale  blue  macaw  ;  body,  dirty  yellow-orange  crewel ;  reddish 
orange  hackle  (full),  gold  tinsel ;  bunch  of  peacock  herl  for 
wing  ;  head  of  the  same. 

No.  2.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping  and  two  long  sprigs 
of  red  macaw ;  body,  medium  brown  crewel,  narrow  gold  tinsel ; 
hackle,  red-orange  with  a  black  centre  ;  wing,  brown  speckled 
turkey  ;  head,  peacock  herl.  This  fly  is  varied  with  a  tail  as 
in  No.  I  ;  body,  dirty  brown  orange  ;  and  hackle,  dark  grizzled 
blue  dun. 

No.  3.  Tail  and  tag  as  in  No.  i  ;  body,  medium  orange  floss, 
gold  tinsel ;  hackle,  lemon-yellow,  with  red  lake  at  shoulder ; 
wing,  brown  speckled  turkey  ;  head,  black  ostrich. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  red  parrot  ;  body,  dirty  yellow, 
inclining  to  orange  wool,  gold  tinsel ;  hackle,  lemon-yellow, 
scarlet  hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  bunch  of  peacock  herl ; 
head,  the  same  ; "hooks,  about  6'or  7. 


THE  WYE 

The  Usk  flies  do  well  also  on  the  Wye  ;  but  I  add  some  flies 
which  I  obtained  of  the  keeper  at  Builth  when  there,  which  I 
found  first-rate  killers. 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  twist  ;  tail,  a  topping,  a  bit  of  wood-duck 
and  scarlet  ibis  ;  body  rather  full,  of  bright  yellow  golden  floss  ; 
the  hackle  longish  and  full,  and  of  a  peculiar  shade  of  olive- 
yellow,  which  is  obtained  by  staining  a  medium  blue  dun  a 
pale  yellow :  this  gives  it  an  olive-greenish  yellow  tint  of  a  very 
taking  look  ;  wing  two  good  clearly  marked  bittern  hackles  ; 
the  best  bitterns'  hackles  to  use  are  those  of  a  yellowish  tint, 
and  on  which  the  ribbed  markings  are  most  distinct  ;  one 
topping  over.     (Plate  XIX,  Fig.  3.) 

No.  2  is  a  fly  of  somewhat  similar  kind,  save  that  the  body 
is  of  a  lemon-yellow  floss  ;  and  the  hackle  a  fine  blue  dun 
hackle,  long  and  full,  the  bluest  that  can  be  got,  fine  gold  tinsel ; 
the  wing  and  tail  as  before  ;  body,  fattish  ;  hooks,  about 
No.  6  or  7  and  smaller  for  summer. 

No.  3  is  dressed  after  the  fashion  of  No.  i,  the  body,  however, 
being^of  the  same  colour  as  the  flesh  of  a  cooked  salmon  ;  the 
hackle,  blue  dun,  long  and  full ;  wing  and  tail  as  in  No.  i. 

Add  to  the  above  the  Dhoon  fly,  there  called  the  Canary. 
See  page  270  for  the  dressing  of  it. 


WELSH  RIVERS  313 

THE  DOVEY  OR  DEIFI 

No.  I.  The  Welshman's  Fairy. — Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  orange 
floss ;  tail,  a  topping,  and  gallina  stained  pink ;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  red  wool ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  claret  and 
golden-olive  laid  together  and  wound  on  simultaneously  ;* 
pale  blue  dun  hackle  (unstained)  at  shoulders  ;  wing,  strips  of 
mallard,  brown  mottled  turkey,  bastard  bustard,  galhna,  pale 
dirty  pink  swan  ;  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  The  Captain. — This  is  a  jointed  fly.  Tag,  gold 
thread ;  tail,  a  topping  and  tippet ;  butt,  black  ostrich  ;  body, 
in  four  joints.  The  first  joint  is  composed  one  half  of  dark 
orange,  and  the  other  of  dark  red  floss,  just  below  the  joint 
a  few  turns  of  fine  gold  thread,  above  this  a  small  cock  of  the 
rock  feather  put  on  as  a  hackle.  The  next  joint  is  bright 
yellow  and  dark  red  floss,  gold  thread,  and  cock  of  the  rock 
hackle  as  before.  The  third  and  fourth  joints  are  of  yellow  and 
black  floss,  gold  thread,  and  cock  of  the  rock  hackle  as  before, 
at  the  shoulders  blue  jay  ;  wing,  brown  mottled  turkey  with 
brown  mallard  over  it,  blue  macaw  ribs  and  black  head. 

Add  to  these  two  flies,  "  Powell's  Fancy  "  (see  the  Bush, 
p.  309)  and  "  The  Baker,"  page  252,  dressed  smaUish,  and 
there  are  four  killers  for  the  Dovey.  Hooks  from  6  to  10,  or 
even  smaller  in  low  water.    Patterns  from  Farlow's. 

THE  CONWAY 

The  following  patterns  were  sent  to  me  by  C.  Blackwall, 
Esq.,  the  secretary  of  the  Conway  Club  ;  and  the  patterns 
may,  therefore,  be  thoroughly  relied  on.  They  are  all  capital 
general  flies,  and  would  kill  on  many  rivers  : — 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  medium  blue  floss  ;  tail, 
sprigs  of  yellow  swan,  wood  duck,  and  Indian  jay  (the  blue 
out  of  the  wing) ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  one-third  yellow 
floss,  the  rest  ohve-green  with  a  few  strands  of  yellow  pig's 
wool,  silver  tinsel ;  lightish  claret  hackle,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ; 
wing,  two  jungle  cock  (medium  length),  sprigs  of  tippet,  wood 
duck  (plenty),  a  strip  of  red  swan  or  red  macaw,  golden 
pheasant's  tail  (plenty),  blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  The  Blackwall. — Tag,  as  before  ;  tail,  a  topping  and 
a  small  blue  chatterer  feather ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  half 
medium  orange  floss,  half  redder  orange  mohair,  broadish  silver 


I 


*  This  will  be  found  easiest  to  do  either  by  stripping  one  side  ol  the 
hAckl«,  or  by  preparing  the  hackles  and  laying  one  within  the  other. — F,  F. 


314  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

tinsel ;  hackle,  claret  a  shade  darker  than  No.  i,  short  wood 
duck  hackle  at  shoulder ;  wings,  two  medium  jungle  cock, 
tippet  sprigs,  slips  of  wood  duck,  two  toppings  ;  blue  macaw 
ribs  ;  black  head.  This  fly  is  Mr.  Blackwall's  own  fancy,  said 
to  be  very  deadly,  and  I  have  given  his  name  to  it. 
^No.  3.  Tag,  as  before;  tail,  a  topping  with  slips  of  wood- 
duck  ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  medium  orange  floss ; 
hackle,  coch  y  bondu  stained  claret,  blue  jay  at  shoulder ; 
wing  fibres  of  tippet,  slips  of  wood-duck,  golden  pheasant's 
tail  over,  blue  and  red  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head  (the  blue 
jay  to  be  tied  outside  the  wing).  This  is  the  old  Conway 
pattern.  I 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  thread,  and  yellow  floss  ;  tail,  yellow 
swan,  tippet  and  wood  duck  sprigs ;  butt,  black  ostrich  herl ; 
body,  lightish  medium  blue  floss  ;  hackle,  the  same,  tinsel 
silver ;  a  httle  short  wood  duck  tied  on  at  breast  hacklewise, 
also  a  tippet  feather  as  a  hackle  over  it ;  wing,  two  medium 
jungle  cock  feathers,  sHps  of  tippet,  golden  pheasant  tail  over 
this,  and  short  wood  duck  sUps  over  that ;  black  head. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  medium  blue  floss  ;  tail,  a 
topping  and  some  wood  duck ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body, 
silver  tinsel ;  dark  claret  hackle  with  a  strand  of  yellow  silk 
laid  on  under  and  beside  it,  blue  jay  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  plenty 
of  wood -duck  slips,  tippet  sprigs  over,  brown  mallard  and 
golden  pheasant  tail  over,  a  sprig  or  two  of  yellow-olive  swan, 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head. 

These  flies  may  be  varied  in  size  to  suit  the  water,  and  will  be 
found  quite  sufficient  for  the  river.  The  siies  sent  to  me  vary 
from  5  to  9. 

THE   TOWEY  AND   TIVEY    OR  TEIFI 

One  or  two  friends,  of  whom  I  expected  to  obtain  flies  of 
these  rivers,  having  failed  me,  I  was  obhged  to  ask  assistance 
in  the  columns  of  the  Field,  and  a  great  many  flies  were  sent 
me.  It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  them  all.  I  have, 
therefore,  made  a  selection  of  those  which  are  best  spoken  of. 
Lord  Llano ver  very  kindly  sent  me  some  patterns.  I  append 
three  of  them. 

No.  I.  Tail,  the  red  rump-feather  of  the  golden  pheasant, 
and  the  extreme  point  of  blue  jay's  feather  ;  body,  yellow 
crewel,  silver  tinsel ;  silver-grey  hackle  (longish  fibre)  ;  wings, 
a  bunch  of  coppery  peacock  herl.  The  other  two  flies  are  very 
similar,  only  the  bodies  are  orange  crewel,  and  the  hackles  a 


WELSH  RIVERS  3i5 

trifle  darker,  and  the  tinsel  gold.    All  these  flies  kill  well  also 
on  the^Usk. 

The  two  following  flies  are  from  Mr.  Harrison/"^of  Lam- 
peter : — 

No.  I.  The  Gamekeeper. — Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  peacock  herl ; 
tail,  a  topping  and  some  golden  pheasant  sword  feather  fibres  ; 
the  body  is  somewhat  difficult  to  decide  on,  being  well  washed  ; 
it  appears  to  be  of  a  red-brown  or  burnt  sienna-coloured 
mohair,  gold  tinsel ;  hackle,  greenish  olive,  darkish  blue  at 
shoulder ;  wing,  a  short  tippet  and  golden  pheasant's  rump 
feather,  over  this  bustard,  with  golden  pheasant's  tail  (the 
streaked  feather),  the  latter  much  predominating ;  head, 
peacock  herl. 

No.  2  is  a  pattern  of  Mr.  Harrison's  own  devising.  Tag, 
silver  tinsel ;  tail,  a  small  tippet  feather  ;  body,  two  turns  of 
yellow  crewel,  the  rest  of  Ught  red  crewel,  the  usual  colour  of 
blotting-paper,  silver  tinsel ;  Hghtish  brown  hackle,  medium 
blue  at  shoulder  ;  wings,  blue  hackle  point  same  colour  as  the 
shoulder,  golden  pheasant's  tail  (the  streaked  feather). 

The  following  is  one  of  three  sent  me  by  Mr.  Whitlow,  of 
Twickenham.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  red  parrot ;  butt,  black 
ostrich  ;  body,  oUve-yellow  ;  narrow  gold  tinsel ;  hackle, 
light  brown-red,  blue  jay  at  shoulder ;  wings,  light  dun 
turkey  with  a  few  dark  blurred  spots  on  it  ;  head,  black 
ostrich. 

Mr.  Whitlow  also  sent  a  somewhat  similar  fly  with  apple- 
green  body  and  hen  pheasant's  wing.  Hooks  5,  6,  and  7,  and 
smaller  for  fine  water. 

The  Butcher  (No.  2  dressing,  p.  252)  kills  well  also  in  the 
Tivey. 

THE   CORTHY 

The  following  two  flies  for  the  Corthy  were  also  forwarded 
by  Mr.  Harrison  ;  and  the  patterns  are  good  both  for  salmon 
and  sewin  : — 

No,  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  scarlet  ibis  ;  body,  blotting- 
paper  red  crewel,  narrow  silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  pale  lemon  ; 
wings,  hght  speckled  turkey  stained  a  bright  ochre-yellow. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  scarlet  ibis  ;  body,  Ught 
yellow  crewel,  tinsel  and  hackle  as  before  ;  wing,  two  slips  of 
blue  macaw  and  two  of  white-tipped  black  turkey.  Both  of 
the  above  are  strange,  unnatural,  inharmonious  sort  of  flies  ; 

I  but  there  is  no  accounting  for  taste,  especially  of  fishes.  Hooks 
btoii. 


3i6  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

THE   DEE 

The  accompanying  flies  were  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Townshend, 
of  Wrexham,  who  obtained  them  for  me  from  Colonel  T.,  a 
noted  angler  on  the  Dee.    The  Dee  flies  are  very  sober  and  plain. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  small  tippet  feather  ;  body, 
bronze  peacock  herl,  gold  tinsel ;  brown-red  hackle  at  shoulder ; 
wing,  a  mixture  of  brown  turkey  and  thin  peacock  herl  fibres 
from  near  the  eye  of  the  feather  ;  head,  peacock  herl. 

No.  2.  No  tail ;  same  body,  coch  y  bondu  hackle ;  wing, 
two  short  hackles,  crimson-red  with  a  lake  tinge,  set  on  either 
side,  with  a  bunch  of  long  fibres  from  a  cock  pheasant's  tail 
between  them  ;  peacock  herl  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  sprigs  of  tippet ;  body,  as 
before  ;  dark  ohve-brown  hackle  at  shoulder ;  wing,  bunch 
of  fibres  from  rump  of  speckled  brown  hen  with  fibres  of  tippet 
on  either  side  ;  head,  as  before. 

No.  4.  Tail,  a  scrap  of  teal  slightly  stained  oHve  ;  body, 
medium  brown  mohair,  silver  thread ;  coch  y  bondu  hackle 
at  shoulder ;  wing,  mottled  peacock,  with  a  few  fibres  of  the 
same  stained  yellow  for  ribs  ;  head,  peacock's  herl.  Hooks 
from  5  to  8. 

THE   ESK    (border) 

Mr.  Rowell,  the  tackle-maker  of  Carhsle,  whose  name  I  have 
already  favourably  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Annan, 
also  sends  me  patterns  for  the  Esk  and  the  Eden,  and  the 
commendation  bestowed  upon  his  Annan  flies  may  be  also 
extended  to  these. 

No.  I.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  gold  pheasant  saddle  sprigs  ; 
body,  a  medium  purple  floss  ;  silver  tinsel,  tolerably  stout ; 
hackle,  coch  y  bondu ;  under  it,  and  tied  on  at  the  shoulder, 
is  a  wad  of  bright  orange  crewel  well  picked  out ;  wing,  some 
teal  sprigs  with  light  dun  turkey  over  split  into  sprigs. 

No.  2.  Much  the  same  fly,  only  the  body  is  bright  medium 
(inchning  to  darkish)  blue,  with  a  few  sprigs  of  blue,  and  one  or 
two  of  bright  yellow  in  the  wing.    All  the  rest  as  before. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  some  tippet  sprigs  ;  body, 
golden  yellow  floss,  with  orange  crewel  picked  out  at  shoulder  ; 
hackle,  coch  y  bondu  with  an  ohve  tinge ;  silver  tinsel ;  wing, 
two  peacock  slips  brownish  at  butt.    Hooks  6  and  7. 

THE   EDEN 

Is  one  of  the  finest  of  our  Enghsh  salmon  rivers,  and  if  properly 


THE  EDEN  317 

treated,  would  be  one  of  the  most  productive.  It  still  produces 
a  great  quantity  of  salmon,  and  affords  a  good  deal  of  sport, 
though  the  spoon  is  found  more  deadly  even  than  the  fly  in  it. 
Mr.  Rowell  suppUes  these  patterns,  as  in  the  last  river. 

No:  I  I  call  The  Chimney  Sweep  ;  it  is  a  very  striking  fly,  as 
it  is  the  only  thoroughly  black  fly  I  ever  saw,  but  that  it  is  a 
favourite  on  the  Eden  Mr.  Rowell  vouches,  as  he  says  it  will 
kill  when  none  of  the  others  will,  and  I  certainly  shall  try  it 
elsewhere.  The  tail  is  a  single  topping  ;  the  tinsel  medium 
silver  ;  but  the  body,  hackle,  and  wings  are  all  black.  The 
hackle  is  longish  in  fibre,  but  is  dressed  only  from  the  shoulder, 
not  down  the  body.  The  wing,  two  slips  of  swan  as  black  as  a 
coal.    It  should  be  a  first-rate  night  fly. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  lightish 
orange  floss.  Silver  tinsel ;  hackle,  black,  and  dressed  only  at 
shoulder  as  before ;  under  wing,  two  shps  of  teal,  upper  two 
slips  of  dark  dun  (cinnamon)  turkey.  In  default,  gled  or  even 
Monal  pheasant  will  do. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping  ;  body,  lightish  blue 
floss  ;  silver  tinsel ;  hackle  dressed  as  before  of  darkish 
medium  blue,  and  under  it  a  wad  of  yellow  crewel  picked  out 
at  shoulder ;  under  wing,  some  teal,  upper  mixed  Hght  peacock, 
gold  pheasant  tail  and  dark  dun  turkey,  with  a  few  sprigs  of 
claret  and  yellow  swan. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel,  tail,  some  tippet  ;  body,  ruby  floss  ; 
silver  tinsel ;  a  wad  of  darkish  medium  red  pig's  wool  tied  in 
and  picked  out  at  the  shoulder,  with  a  coch  y  bondu  hackle  over 
it ;  under  wing,  gold  pheasant  rump,  upper  mixed  black  (not 
very  bright),  gold  pheasant  tail,  cock  pheasant  tail,  sprigs  of 
blue,  yellow,  red,  and  green. 

No.  5.  Tag,  gold  tinsel  and  some  orange-yellow  crewel ;  tail, 
the  tip  of  a  medium  claret  hackle  ;  body,  floss  herl,  a  very 
difficult  colour  to  describe.  It  is  a  dark  pink-red,  not  so  bright 
as  ruby,  but  a  sort  of  faded  ruby  ;  silver  tinsel ;  hghtish  claret 
hackle  half-way  down  the  body  ;  under  wing,  a  tippet,  rather 
conspicuous,  and  a  saddle  feather  over  (rather  thinly)  ;  sprigs 
of  teal,  gold  pheasant  tail,  bright  blue  and  red.  All  the  bodies 
of  these  flies  are  dressed  rather  sparely,  and  the  hooks  are 
about  6  and  7. 

THE   TAWE  AND   TORRIDGE 

These  three  patterns  are  from  Farlow's  : — 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel ;   tail,  a  topping  and  red  and  blue 


3i8  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

macaw ;  butt,  black  ostrich ;  body,  three  turns  of  medium 
orange  floss,  the  rest  of  darkish  blue  pig's  wool ;  broad  silver 
tinsel ;  medium  blue  hackle,  blue  jay  at  shoulder ;  wing,  a 
darkish  blue  hackle,  slice  of  brick-red  swan  and  darkish  grey 
speckled  turkey  ;  black  head. 

No.  2.  Tag,  silver  thread  and  mby  floss ;  tail,  a^topping  f^butt, 
black  ostrich ;  body,  palish  yellow  wool ;  medium  claret  hackle, 
a  light  orange  hackle  (inclining  rather  to  pale  brick-red)  at 
shoulder  ;  wing,  brown  speckled  turkey  ;  peacock,  a  few  sprigs 
of  bastard  bustard  and  grey  mallard,  slightly  brown  at  tips, 
over  all ;  black  head. 

No.  3.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  topping ;  butt,  black  ostrich 
body,  bright  canary-coloured  floss,  gold  tinsel ;  hackle  the 
same  colour,  blue  jay  on  shoulder ;  wing,  Hght  and  mixed 
sprigs  of  bustard,  tippet,  wood  duck,  gaUina  over,  topping,  and 
blue  macaw  ribs  ;  black  head.  In  the  early  spring,  a  Butcher 
(see  p.  252)  dressed  smalhsh  is  a  first-rate  fly  for  these  rivers. 
Hooks  from  5  to  9. 


SEA  TROUT  FLIES 

"  Well,  Mr.  Francis,'*  methinks  I  hear  the  reader  remark, 
"  you  have  given  us  a  rare  long  list  of  salmon  flies,  but  what 
about  sea  trout  flies  ?  " 

Sea  trout  flies  are  a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  common 
trout  and  salmon  flies  ;  and  first  I  will  give  you  a  fist  of  flies 
used  more  or  less  on  the  Tweed,  where  they  are  termed  whitling 
flies,  and  it  shall  go  hard  but  some  of  these  flies  shall  kill  sea 
trout  wherever  they  are  found  to  rise  in  Scotland.  The  sizes  of 
sea  trout  flies  run  from  the  No.  12  hook  in  the  salmon  scale 
down  to  about  three  sizes  smaller. 

No.  I.  Of  all  the  sea  trout  flies  I  know  of  this  is  about  the 
best.  It  will  kill  almost  anywhere  ;  either  in  Scotland,  Ireland, 
or  England.  Tail,  a  short  tuft  of  orange-yellow  floss  silk  ; 
body,  a  dark  ruddy  brown  or  brown-red  (something  the  colour 
of  dark  red  hair)  pig's  wool,  fine  silver  twist ;  hackle,  coch  y 
bondu  (red  with  black  centre)  ;  wing,  two  strips  of  bright  teal. 
Three  sizes  of  this  fly  should  always  be  kept  on  hand,  from  the 
largest  to  the  smallest  sea  trout  size. 

No.  2.  Much  the  same  dressing  ;  the  body  bright  orange 
with  a  black  hackle.    Medium  size. 

No.  3    Tail  as  before  ;   body,  lower  half,  dark  red  ;   upper 


SEA  TROUT  FLIES  319 

half  black ;  hackle,  coch  y  bondu,  the  black  tint  of  the  hackle 
predominating  ;    wing,  teal.    Medium  size. 

No.  4.  Tail  as  before  ;  body,  black  ostrich  herl,  silver 
thread ;  hackle,  coch  y  bondu  ;  wing,  bright,  well-marked  teal. 
Two  sizes. 

No.  5.  Tail,  short  golden  floss  ;  body,  ruddy  orange,  gold 
thread  ;  red  hackle,  with  a  scrap  of  black  at  the  butt  of  the 
feather  ;  wing,  the  brown  speckled  feathers  from  a  woodcock's 
tail,  or  the  rump  of  a  brown  speckled  hen.    Medium  size. 

No.  6.  Tail  as  before  ;  body,  half  dirty  orange  ;  upper 
half  black,  fine  gold  thread ;  hackle,  coch  y  bondu  ;  wing,  two 
slips  from  a  dun  feather,  either  landrail  or  the  lighter  part  of 
partridge  tail.    The  smaller  sizes. 

No.  7.  The  White  Tip. — I  never  did  a  great  deal  with  this 
fly,  but  it  is  a  standard  Tweed  pattern,  so  I  give  it.  Tail,  short 
orange  floss  ;  body,  black  ostrich  herl,  silver  thread  ;  hackle, 
dark  coch  y  bondu,  with  only  a  Httle  red  at  the  tips  of  the 
fibres  ;  wing,  two  shreds  from  the  black  and  white  wing 
feather  of  a  wild  drake,  three-fourths  black  and  one-fourth  a 
bright  white  tip. 

If  one  of  these  seven  flies  do  not  stir  the  sea  trout  on  the 
Tweed  and  many  another  Scotch  river,  the  angler  may  go 
home,  as  far  as  sea  trout  are  concerned.  These  are  all  dressed 
by  Jamie  Wright,  of  Sprouston,  on  whom  my  benison,  for  they 
are  perfection. 

Here  is  a  batch  for  the  west  of  Ireland,  which  I  got  years 
ago  from  McGowan,  of  Brut  on  Street,  Berkeley  Square, 
formerly  a  fight  of  science  at  Ballyshannon,  but  now  a  Saga  on 
Norwegian  mysteries.  They  are  capital  patterns,  wonderfully 
tied,  perfect  miniature  salmon  flies,  and  for  killing  they  are 
not  at  all  easy  to  beat ;  I  have  killed  "  wales  o'  fish  "  with 
some  of  them,  particularly  with  No.  i. 

No.  I.  Tail,  a  whisk  from  the  cock  of  the  rock's  breast 
feather  ;  body,  light  claret-red  pig's  wool ;  hackle,  the  same, 
fineish  gold  tinsel ;  under  wing,  a  fragment  of  golden  pheasant 
tippet,  over  it  brown  mallard  ;   black  head.    Medium  size. 

No.  2.  Tail,  sprigs  of  golden  pheasant  tippet,  and  teal ; 
body,  dirty  reddish  brown  (almost  the  colour  of  dark  cow's 
hair),  gold  thread ;  red  hackle  with  a  black  butt  to  it  from  the 
shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed,  bustard  predominating,  with  fibres  of 
gallina,  two  or  three  sprigs  of  golden  pheasant  tippet,  and 
sword  feather  with  peacock's  breast ;  head,  peacock's  herl. 
Large  size. 


320  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

No.  3.  Tag,  pale  blue  floss  ;  tail,  sprigs  of  golden  pheasant 
tippet,  and  fine  blue  macaw  points  ;  body,  golden  yellow  floss, 
gold  thread  ;  hackle,  dark  oHve,  with  one  turn  of  jay  at 
shoulder  ;  wing,  mixed  golden  pheasant  tail  and  tippet,  brown 
mallard  and  gallina  ;  head,  black.    Small  size. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  thread  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  a  small 
orange  toucan  feather  ;  body,  dark  blue  floss  ;  black  hackle, 
fine  silver  tinsel ;  wing,  gold  pheasant  tail  (the  streaked 
feather),  and  tippet,  with  some  teal  over  ;  head,  black.  Small 
size. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  twist  and  ruby  floss  ;  tail,  mixed  sprigs  of 
golden  pheasant  tippet,  galhna,  and  fine  blue  macaw  sprigs  ; 
body,  dark  blue  floss,  gold  thread  ;  black  hackle,  with  a  red- 
brown  one  at  shoulder ;  wing,  bustard,  with  fibres  of  galhna  and 
golden  pheasant  tippet  over  ;  head,  black.    Size  largish. 

No.  6.  Tag,  gold  thread  and  a  bit  of  lemon-yellow  crewel ; 
tail,  red  parrot ;  body,  medium  purple  claret  pig's  wool  picked 
out,  silver  tinsel ;  red  hackle  only  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  bright 
teal ;  head,  black.    Size  medium. 

Here  is  a  number  of  patterns  for  the  ^west  and  north-west 
of  Ireland,  collected  by  myself  on  the  spot.  I  have  found 
them  to  be  first-rate  killers,  and  do  not  hesitate  strongly  to 
commend  them.  The  first  is  a  capital  fly  for  Erris,  and  will 
slaughter  not  only  white  trout,  but  when  the  water  is  low  will 
kill  salmon.  It  was  given  to  me  by  a  gentleman  who  had  lived 
for  years  at  Bangor,  and  who  had  fished  all  the  streams  in  that 
part  incessantly.  I  killed  baskets  of  white  trout  with  it,  and 
although  the  river  was  so  low  that  there  had  not  been  a  salmon 
killed  for  weeks,  on  the  first  morning  that  I  was  there  we  went 
out  on  the  Owenmore,  played  and  lost  one  salmon  and  killed 
another  of  eleven  pounds. 

No.  I.  Tail,  a  few  sprigs  of  blue  jay ;  body,  two  turns  of 
medium  blue  floss,  the  rest  black  pig's  wool  mingled  with  a 
few  fibres  of  hghtish  brown  or  dirty  grey  fur  to  give  the  body 
a  sort  of  rusty  appearance,  silver  thread  ;  black  hackle  ;  wing, 
plain,  from  the  jay's  wing,  choose  a  bit  which  is  dark  towards 
the  butt.    Two  sizes. 

No.  2.  Tag,  golden-yellow  floss  ;  tail,  sprigs  of  red  and 
green  parrot,  and  golden  pheasant  tippet ;  body,  black  pig's 
wool,  silver  thread  ;  black  hackle,  with  two  turns  of  jay  at 
shoulder ;  wing,  mixed,  of  brown  and  grey  mallard,  fibres  of 
golden  pheasant  with  four  or  five  sprigs  of  blue  macaw.  Size, 
full.    With  this  fly  I  once  killed  nearly  a  hundredweight  of 


SEA  TROUT  FLIES  321 

white  trout  in  one  day  on  the  DoohuUah  lakes.  It  is  a  great 
Connemara  favourite. 

No.  3.  Tail,  a  small  topping  ;  body,  one  turn  of  ruby  floss, 
the  rest  of  black  floss,  silver  thread  ;  black  hackle  only  one- 
third  down  ;  wing,  a  darkish  bit  from  a  jay's  wing.  Size  small. 
Good  in  the  Newport  river,  and  most  of  the  rivers  and  lakes  in 
that  neighbourhood. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  a  sprig  or  two  of  brown 
mallard  ;  body,  dark  blue  wool  well  picked  out  ;  red  hackle 
only  at  shoulder ;  wing,  from  jay's  wing-feather,  with  a  light 
brownish  tinge  preferred.    Size  small. 

No.  5.  Tag,  silver  thread  ;  tail,  grey  mallard  ;  body,  apple- 
green  floss  ;  red  hackle,  silver  thread  ;  wing,  mottled  wood- 
cock. The  last  two  flies  are  good  on  the  Lennan  and  at 
Gweedore,  and  generally  on  the  north-west  of  Donegal.  Largish 
size. 

No.  6.  Tag,  light  orange  floss  ;  tail,  golden  pheasant  tippet 
sprigs  ;  body,  medium  blue  pig's  wool  picked  out  slightly  ; 
black  hackle  (only  at  shoulder),  silver  thread  ;  wing,  brown 
mallard,  small  speckled  gallina,  a  few  shreds  of  red  parrot  and 
blue  macaw.  A  capital  Connemara  pattern.  I  have  done  very 
well  with  it  at  Ballynahinch.    Medium  size. 

No.  7.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  hght  orange  floss  ;  tail,  blue 
jay  and  yellow  macaw ;  body,  Ughtish  blue  pig's  wool ; 
hackle,  the  same  colour,  silver  thread  ;  wing,  jay's  wing — a 
lightish  feather.    Connemara.    Medium  size. 

No.  8.  Tag,  as  before  ;  tail,  jay  and  tippet  ;  body,  bright 
pea-green  floss,  silver  tinsel ;  red  hackle  ;  wing  as  before. 
Connemara.    Medium  size. 

No.  9.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  golden  pheasant  tippet  sprigs  ; 
body,  light  orange  floss  ;  wing  and  hackle,  a  grouse  hackle  left 
full  and  long  on  back  and  cUpped  on  the  breast.  Connemara. 
Medium  size. 

Four  patterns  from  Nicholson  of  Gal  way  : — 

No.  I.  Tag,  silver  tinsel  and  orange  floss  ;  tail,  tippet  and 
blue  and  green  sprigs  ;  body,  blue  mohair,  rough  ;  hackle,  red  ; 
wing,  jay's  wing. 

No.  2.  Tag,  as  before  ;  tail,  as  before  ;  body,  yellow  mohair, 
rough  silver  thread  ;   wing,  jay's  wing— darkish  feather. 

No.  3.  Tag  and  tail  as  before  ;  body,  two-thirds  light  claret 
mohair,  one-third  at  shoulder  dirty  yellow ;  black  hackle  ; 
wing,  dark  jay  with  some  tippet  over. 

No.  4.  Tag,  silver  tinsel,  dark  blue  floss  ;   tail,  tippet,  and 


322  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

sword  feather  with  yellow  sprigs  ;  body,  black  mohair  with  a 
little  dark  red  picked  out  at  the  shoulder,  silver  tinsel ;  hackle, 
black  ;  wing,  dark  jay,  and  some  tippet  sprigs  over.  All  these 
flies  have  black  heads,  and  are  dressed  of  large  size. 

I  had  some  patterns  sent  me  specially  for  Erris  rivers  and 
lakes,  more  particularly  for  Maxwell's  river — the  Ballycroy — 
a  very  famous  white  trout  river,  in  which  my  friend  Mr.  S., 
who  rented  it,  as  I  have  before  stated,  for  some  years,  killed 
magnificent  baskets  of  white  trout,  many  of  them  running  up 
often  to  five  and  six  pounds'  weight.  Four  of  these  flies  are 
very  much  alike  ;  the  bodies  vary  a  little  in  the  shade  of 
orange  ;  the  tags  are  all  silver  tinsel  and  ruby  floss  ;  the  tails 
a  sprig  or  two  of  golden  pheasant's  tail ;  they  all  have  the 
somewhat  unusual  appendage  to  a  white  trout  fly,  of  a  black 
ostrich  butt.  The  bodies  are  pig's  wool,  more  or  less  of  a 
red  or  yellow  orange,  gold  thread.  One  of  them  is  half  orange 
and  half  black.  The  hackles  are  black  ;  wings  of  two,  brown 
mallard  ;  in  the  other  two  a  bit  of  peacock's  wing  or  hen 
pheasant's  is  thrown  in.  The  fifth  fly  is  a  very  pretty  one  :  no 
tail  or  tag  ;  body,  lake  floss,  then  orange  floss,  and  then  lake 
again  ;  hackle,  a  yellow  olive  ;  black  hackle  at  shoulder, 
amidst  which  on  the  breast  a  fibre  or  two  of  dark  blue  and 
claret  mohair  is  tied  in  ;  wing,  landrail  and  brown  mallard, 
with  a  small  topping  over.  I  should  think  this  fly  would  be  in 
request.  It  is  a  very  pretty  pattern — the  body  smacks  a  Uttle 
of  the  Moy.  They  all  have  black  heads,  and  are  of  medium 
size. 

Here  are  half  a  dozen  for  Lough  Currane  (or  Waterville). 
They  were  sent  me  by  Haynes,  of  Cork,  whose  small  flies  are 
perfection. 

No.  I.  Tag,  a  few  turns  of  gold  thread  ;  tail,  a  few  sprigs  of 
tippet ;  body,  dark  sandy  red  (red  hair  red),  gold  thread. 
Hackle,  red — when  held  up  to  the  Hght  golden  olive  ;  wing,  a 
darkish  bit  of  bustard.    Largish  size. 

No.  2.  Tag,  and  tail  as  before ;  body,  very  dark  claret  pig's 
wool,  gold  thread  ;  very  dark  blue  hackle,  a  nice  streaky  bit  of 
cock  pheasant.    Largish  size. 

No.  3.  Tag  and  tail  as  before  ;  body,  claret,  two  shades 
lighter  than  the  last  fly  ;  hackle,  the  same  colour,  gold  thread  ; 
argus  hackle  at  shoulder  (grouse  may  be  substituted  in  default) ; 
wing,  well  mottled  hen  pheasant ;  black  head.  Same  size  as 
the  last  two  flies. 

No.  4.  Tag  and  tail  as  before  ;   body,  medium  brown  pig's 


SEA  TROUT  FLIES  323 

wool,  gold  thread  ;  medium  blue  hackle  ;  wing,  speckled  cock 
pheasant.    One  size  smaller  than  the  last  three. 

No.  5.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  brown  mallard  ;  body,  dark 
brown  claret,  gold  thread  ;  black  hackle  with  medium  brown 
hackle  at  shoulder  ;  wing,  a  few  fibres  of  speckled  cock 
pheasant,  and  over  them  dark  jay's  wing  ;  black  head.  Same 
size  as  first  three. 

No.  6.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  brown  mallard  ;  body,  three 
turns  of  orange  floss,  the  rest  black  ostrich  herl ;  black  hackle  ; 
wing,  dark  cinnamon,  partridge  tail  is  hardly  long  enough  in 
the  fibre — there  is  an  Indian  pheasant  which  has  the  feather. 
One  size  smaller. 

I  now  give  half  a  dozen  patterns  for  the  Caragh,  which  will 
kill  on  most  of  the  Kerry  rivers.  They  are  also  by  Haynes,  and 
are  not  inferior  to  the  last. 

No.  I.  Tail,  two  grey  mallard  strands ;  medium  blue  floss 
body,  silver  tinsel ;  hackle  same  colour  as  body  ;  wing,  jay's 
wing.    Small  size. 

No.  2.  Tail,  three  strands  of  brown  mallard  ;  body,  dirty 
yellow-orange,  gold  thread  ;  medium  blue  hackle  ;  light  jay's 
wing. 

No.  3.  Tag,  silver  thread  ;  tail,  three  strands  of  bustard  ; 
body,  one-third  medium  orange  floss,  the  rest  silver-grey  fur, 
silver  thread  ;  hackle,  smoky  blue  dun  ;  wing,  darkish  jay's 
wing. 

No.  4.  Tag,  gold  tinsel ;  tail,  brown  mallard ;  body,  one- 
third  golden-yellow  floss,  the  rest  hare's  ear  ;  hackle,  red 
(fight  transparent  oUve  when  held  up  to  light)  ;  wing,  jay's 
wing,  with  dark  butt  to  the  feather. 

No.  5.  Mallard  tail ;  medium  orange  floss  body,  gold  thread  ; 
wing  and  hackle,  fight  tawny  grouse  hackle,  only  at  the 
shoulders,  and  cfipped  on  the  breast. 

No.  6.  Tail,  grey  mallard  ;  body,  fightish  olive-green  pig's 
wool  roughish,  fine  gold  thread  ;  wing,  a  rather  fight  coloured 
bit  of  speckled  cock  pheasant  tail,  a  wad  of  the  same  being  tied 
on  at  the  breast  as  a  hackle,  and  then  clipped.  All  these  ffies 
are  of  the  smallest  size  used  for  sea  trout. 

With  such  a  list  of  sea  trout  flies  as  I  have  given  in  the  last 
half-dozen  pages,  scarcely  any  lake  or  river  in  the  kingdom  can 
fail  to  be  well  suited. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TACKLE    MAKING    AND    FLY    DRESSING 

On  Making  Tackle,  Knotting,  etc. — How  to  Dress  the  Trout  Fly — The  Method 
of  Dressing  the  Salmon  Fly 

BEFORE  going  into  the  mysteries  of  fly  dressing,  I 
may  say  a  few  words  upon  tackle  making  generally. 
One  of  the  first  acts  the  tyro  wiU  attempt  to 
perform  for  himseK,  will  be  the  lashing  on  of  a  hook. 
This  process  is  exceedingly  simple,  and  may  be  very  quickly 
performed  with  a  Httle  practice.  Take  a  hook,  a  thread  of  gut, 
and  some  fine  but  strong  silk  ;  wax  it  well  either  with  white  or 
cobbler's  wax  ;  bite  the  gut  slightly  at  the  extreme  end,  so 
as  to  flatten  it  and  prevent  its  shpping  ;  then  lay  the  gut  and 
the  end  of  the  silk  against  the  shank  of  the  hook,  the  ends 
reaching  rather  short  of  the  bend  ;  then,  holding  both  in  place 
with  the  bend  and  shank  of  the  hook  between  the  left  finger 
and  thumb,  take  the  silk  in  the  right,  and  wind  it  firmly  round 
the  gut  and  hook,  commencing  at  the  head  or  end  of  the  hook, 
and  laying  coil  beside  coil  until  the  gut  is  covered  and  bound 
securely  to  the  hook  ;  then  fasten  off  the  silk  either  by  two 
half  hitches,  as  shown  in  the  right-hand  tie  in  Fig.  7  of  Plate  III, 
page  66,  or  by  the  method  given  on  the  left-hand  side.  These 
cuts  render  any  further  explanation  needless.  I  generally 
prefer  the  two  half  hitches,  as,  although  perhaps  less  neat,  they 
are  more  secure.  The  coils  should  of  course  be  drawn  tight,  and 
the  loose  end  of  the  silk  snipped  off.  The  lashing  may  then  be 
touched  with  shellac  varnish  (see  Recipes  and  Notabilia, 
P-  357)  >  a-nd  the  hook  put  aside  in  a  dry  place  tiU  required  for 
use.  It  is  always  desirable,  where  you  use  shellac  varnish,  to 
employ  it  some  time  before  using  the  tackle,  as,  if  not  quite 
dry,  the  varnish  turns  to  an  opaque  white  colour  when  the 
tackle  is  used. 

The  next  thing  the  young  aspirant  to  skill  in  tackle  making 
will  attempt,  will  be  in  t^ing  threads  of  gut  together  for  lines. 
Of  course  the  selection  of  the  gut  depends  upon  the  purpose  it 

324 


KNOTS  325 

is  to  be  put  to,  but  it  is  common,  both  for  bottom  and  fly- 
fishing hnes,  to  taper  them  ;  that  is,  the  stoutest  gut  is 
reserved  for  the  upper  part  of  the  hne,  or  that  to  which  the 
running  or  reel  Hne  is  tied,  and  the  finer  for  the  part  near  the 
hook,  and  it  graduates  in  stoutness  from  one  to  the  other.  Gut 
should  be  moistened  in  luke-warm  water  (if  time  can  be  spared, 
cold  is  better),  before  it  is  tied  ;  and  the  older  the  gut  is  the 
more  thoroughly  soaked  it  must  be,  and  the  more  carefully  and 
closely  the  knots  must  be  drawn  together,  as  it  gets  brittle  with 
age.  To  tie  two  threads  of  gut  together,  place  two  ends  side  by 
side,  overlapping  each  other  for  a  couple  of  inches  or  so,  and 
then  tie  the  knot  shown  in  Fig.  3,  Plate  III,  page  66.  Draw  it 
closely  home,  and  snip  off  the  short  ends.  This  knot  is  generally 
secure  enough,  if  it  be  properly  drawn  home  ;  but  to  render  it 
more  secure,  I  generally  touch  the  knot,  when  the  gut  is  quite 
dry,  with  a  drop  of  shellac  varnish.  If,  however,  this  be  not 
thought  secure  enough,  then  it  is  usual  to  take  another  turn 
in  the  fold,  as  shown  in  Fig.  4.  The  double  folds,  though  the}' 
make  rather  a  large  knot,  render  a  slip  impossible.  There  is 
another  way  used  when  dropper  flies  are  needed  to  be  fastened 
in,  and  that  is  shown  in  Fig.  2  in  the  same  plate,  but  I  have 
noted  that  elsewhere.  Some  people  whip  the  ends  of  the  gut 
on  to  the  main  hne  so  as  to  secure  the  knot,  but  the  whipping 
always  frays  off,  and  is  practically  useless.  In  securing  the  gut 
line  to  the  reel  line,  it  is  usual  to  have  a  loop  at  the  end  of  the 
gut.  The  end  of  the  reel  hne  having  merely  a  knot  in  it,  take 
the  end  of  the  reel  hne  and  pass  it  through  the  loop,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  5,  Plate  III,  page  66.  But  if  you  wish  to  be  able  to  imdo 
the  line  with  ease  and  quickness  when  you  require  to  change  or 
have  finished  fishing,  then  it  is  advisable  to  use  the  shp  knot 
shown  in  Fig.  6,  when  by  pulling  the  loose  end  of  the  hne 
smartly,  the  hitch  is  released.*  In  making  a  loop  in  a  gut  line, 
I  usually  prefer  the  knotted  loop,  as  shown  in  Fig.  6,  to  the 
whipped  one,  shown  in  Fig.  5.  It  is  less  conspicuous  when 
properly  made  and  drawn  close,  and  it  is  more  secure,  as  loop 
w-hipping  often  comes  undone.  Alwa^-s  try  all  hooks  and  gut 
before  using  them,  as  it  is  exceedingly  vexatious  to  lose  a  good 
fish  for  the  want  of  this  precaution. 

And  now  as  to  fly  t\nig. 

The  Trout  Fly. — Some  persons  trust  entirely  to  their  tackle 

*  Personally,  I  would  not  be  found  dead,  so  to  speak,  with  such  knots  as 
these  on  my  line.  In  my  opinion  the  figure  of  eight  knot  is  the  right  one 
for  the  purpose. — Ed. 


326  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

makers  for  their  flies,  and  will  not  go  to  the  trouble  of  tying 
or  learning  to  tie,  their  trout  flies.  I  myself  trust  to  my  tackle 
maker  for  my  general  supply  of  flies,  but  there  are  times  when 
the  capability  of  tying  a  fly  will  secure  one  a  good  day's  fishing, 
and  when,  but  for  the  power  to  do  so,  the  angler  might  see  fish 
rising  but  be  unable  to  bring  them  to  hook.  As  it  will  often 
happen  that  the  angler  will  desire  to  tie  a  fly  by  the  river  side, 
it  will  be  well  that  he  should  learn  to  tie  them  by  the  use  of  his 
fingers  alone.  It  may  be  more  difficult  at  first,  but  the  best 
tyers  (professional  tyers)  very  seldom  use  anything  else,  and  it 
is  a  mere  matter  of  practice.  Most  amateurs,  however,  prefer 
to  use  a  vice  to  hold  the  hook,  and  the  vice  for  trout  flies  is  a 
small  brass  table  vice,  and  can,  with  spring  tweezers,  also  a 
common  requisite,  be  bought  at  most  respectable  tackle 
makers.  The  only  other  implements  required  are  a  neat  sharp- 
pointed  pair  of  scissors  and  a  dubbing  needle,  which  last  should 
be  a  stout  needle,  fixed  in  a  handle  like  a  bradawl,  and  with  a 
rounded  blunt  point,  so  as  not  to  cut  the  silk  when  used  to 
pick  out  the  fibres  of  dubbing. 

The  easiest  fly  to  dress  is,  of  course,  the  simple  palmer. 
Suppose  we  take  the  common  red  palmer.  Choose  hook  and 
gut ;  lash  on  the  gut  with  the  finest  and  strongest"  silk  you  can 
procure  in  the  ordinary  way,  only  do  not  begin  quite  at  the 
head  or  end  of  the  hook,  leave  space  enough  for  two  or  three 
turns  of  the  silk  bare  of  lashing  in  order  to  finish  the  fly  off  at ; 
having  lashed  on  the  gut  down  towards  the  bend,  take  either 
a  piece  of  crewel  or  silk,  or  even  two  or  three  (according  as  you 
require  the  substance  of  the  fly  to  be)  peacock's  or  ostrich 
herls,  break  off  the  weak  points,  lay  the  herls  together,  and 
tie  the  ends  in  a  mass  on  to  the  bend  of  the  hook  (see  Plate 
XXI,  Fig.  i) ;  then  select  a  hackle  from  the  neck  of  a  red 
cock — choose  a  two-year-old  cock  in  preference  to  a  young  one, 
as  his  colours  will  be  better  and  his  feathers  stronger.  As  your 
fly  is  to  be  larger  or  smaller,  and  you  need  the  fibre  to  be  longer 
or  shorter,  so  you  will  choose  one  nearer  to  or  farther  from  the 
head  ;  having  settled  this,  prepare  the  hackle  by  snipping  a 
little  bit  off  on  each  side  near  the  tip  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  lo), 
so  that  the  fibres  may  not  be  tied  in.  Then  comes  the  question 
whether  you  desire  your  palmer  to  be  dressed  with  hackle  all 
over  from  head  to  tail,  whether  it  shall  be  dressed  half-way 
down,  or  only  at  the  shoulder  of  the  fly.  If  the  hackle  is  to  go 
from  tail  to  head,  it  is  tied  on  at  the  same  time  as  the  herl.  If 
not,  then  the  silk  must  be  warped  up  from  the  tail  to  the 


w 


TO  DRESS  TROUT  FLIES  327 

required  spot ;  and  having  tied  on  the  tip  of  the  hackle,  you 
must  carry  the  silk  on  to  the  shoulder  of  the  fly,  and  fix  it  with 
a  half  hitch.*  Then  take  hold  of  the  peacock's  herls  and  wind 
them  round  and  round  the  hook  side  by  side,  up  to  the  silk, 
when  seize  them  down  with  two  or  three  turns  of  the  silk  and  a 
half  hitch  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  2) ;  cut  off  the  refuse  herl,  not 
too  closely  ;  and  touch  the  fastening  with  a  drop  of  shellac 
varnish  to  make  all  secure.  Then  take  hold  of  the  hackle  either 
with  the  fingers  or  spring  tweezers,  and  taking  care  that  the 
fibres  point  in  the  right  direction,  wind  it  carefully  on  up  to 
the  head  of  the  fly,  until  it  reaches  the  silk,  pressing  the  fibres 
down  so  that  they  point  tailwards  while  doing  so  ;  then  seize 
it  down  and  tie  off  as  in  the  case  of  the  herl  (see  Plate  XXI, 
Fig.  3)  ;  cut  off  the  refuse,  not  too  closely,  leaving  a  scrap 
of  the  quill  still  on,  which  lap  over  and  tie  down  firmly, 
finishing  off  with  the  silk  to  the  end  of  the  hook  ;  snip  the 
silk  off  and  touch  the  tie  with  varnish,  and  you  have  a  red 
palmer. 

Of  course  all  other  palmers  are  tied  in  the  same  way.  When 
they  are  very  large  and  thick-fibred,  two  or  more  hackles  are 
used.  Some  tie  them  both  on  together,  and  wind  them  on  at 
the  same  time  ;  and  some  use  one  up  first,  and  then  tie  on 
another.    The  first  plan  is  the  best. 

A  winged  fly  is  simply  a  palmer  with  the  addition  of  wings, 
and  with  three-quarters  of  the  legs  taken  away  (Fig.  4  shows 
the  wings  simply  added).  For  the  legs  of  an  ordinary  fly, 
prepare  a  small  piece  of  hackle  of  the  requisite  length  of  fibre  ; 
tie  the  end  on  at  that  part  of  the  hook  where  the  thorax  of  the 
fly  would  be.  This  may  be  done  either  when  the  hook  is  being 
tied  on  to  the  gut,  or  afterwards,  when  the  body  is  being 
warped  on,  a  turn  of  the  silk  being  taken  over  the  herl  or 
dubbing  to  secure  it  while  the  hackle  is  being  tied  on.  The  silk 
is  then  wound  up  to  the  shoulder  ;  the  body  worked  up  to  it 
and  tied  off ;  two  or  three  turns  of  the  hackle  are  then  taken, 
by  which  time  that  too  will  reach  the  shoulder,  and  can  be  tied 

*  This  is  one  way,  and  the  one  commonly  adopted.  My  own  plan,  how- 
ever, is  to  lash  in  the  tip  of  the  hackle  while  I  am  tying  the  hook  to  the  gut, 
when  the  hackle  is  to  be  either  from  the  middle  of  the  body  or  at  the  shoulder 
only  :  this  plan  makes  the  body  less  clumsy.  Of  course,  if  it  is  to  run  from 
head  to  tail — or  tail  to  head  rather — the  hackle  should  be  tied  in  at  the  same 
time  as  the  herl  or  crewel.  As  it  is  very  liable  to  break  and  the  body  then 
comes  to  pieces,  to  prevent  this,  some  persons  spin  the  herls  round  on  the 
silk  by  twirling  them  together  ;  then  turning  them  on  the  hook,  silk  and  all, 
and  avoiding  the  hackle,  carry  silk  and  herl  to  the  head  simultaneously,  and 
tie  oft  the  herl  with  the  silk  without  trouble,  and  snip  off  the  end. — F.  F. 


328  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

off,  when  the  wing  is  put  on,  and  all  is  finished.  But  be  sure 
not  to  overhackle  your  fly — ^it  makes  it  lumpy  and  unnatural ; 
as  a  rule,  nine  fly  tyers  in  ten  overdo  this.  No  fly  has  more  than 
six  legs,  and  the  imitation  is  none  the  more  faithful  for  having 
sixty.  Some  flies  have  the  hackle  put  on  from  tail  to  head,  Hke 
a  palmer  or  the  sedge  fly,  as  I  have  shown  ;  others  have  this 
same  make,  but  the  hackle  is  much  more  thinly  laid  on.  When 
this  is  the  case,  strip  off  the  fibres  from  one  side,  and  only  tie 
on  the  single  side  left  on  the  quill  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  lo).  Be 
sure  you  strip  off  the  right  side,  or  you  will  find  the  hackle  will 
not  roll  on.  To  tie  on  the  wing,  select  carefully  a  fragment  of 
some  feather,  as  the  wing  of  jay,  pheasant,  starling,  or  black- 
bird, and  strip  it  off  neatly,  taking  care  not  to  split  or  separate 
the  fibres.  The  wing  being  held  between  one  finger  and  thumb, 
the  butt  ends  of  the  fibres  are  pinched  together  by  the  other,  so 
as  to  compress  them  without,  if  possible,  bending  or  doubhng 
up  the  wing  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  12).  This  is  then  laid  to  the 
head  of  the  hook  and  set  in  the  direction  it  is  desirable  to  make 
it  stand,  and  two  or  three  turns  of  the  silk  taken  over  it,  the 
silk  being  then  fastened  off  in  the  usual  way. 

If  a  pair  of  wings  are  to  be  set  on,  it  is  as  well  to  pick  a  strip 
of  two  separate  feathers  from  both  wings  of  the  bird  ;  by  this 
means  the  feathers  will  set  properly,  and  each  wing  of  the  fly 
will  have  the  bright  and  glossy  side  outwards,  and  exposed  to 
the  gaze  of  the  fish.  Lay  the  strips  side  by  side,  and  hold  them 
between  the  finger  and  thumb.  Then  nip  the  butts  of  the 
feathers  with  the  other  finger  and  thumb,  so  as  to  get  the  wing 
into  as  good  a  shape  as  possible  for  tying  on.  Lay  the  feathers 
to  the  hook,  and  take  two  or  three  turns  of  the  silk  firmly  over 
them  to  secure  them,  and  if  the  set  of  the  wings  be  satisfactory, 
part  them  with  a  needle,  and  cHp  off  the  refuse.  It  is  always 
advisable  to  make  flies  not  less  than  twelve  hours  before  using, 
so  as  to  allow  the  varnish  to  set.  Some  flies  require  tails,  and 
some  tinsel  to  mark  the  joints  of  the  fly.  When  this  is  the  case, 
after  lashing  on  the  gut  and  taking  one  half  hitch  to  secure  it, 
lay  the  tail  to  the  hook  just  above  the  bend — it  is  usually 
composed  of  two  or  three  fibres  of  some  feather — and  lap  it  on 
securely.  Tie  in  the  tinsel  with  the  dubbing  (see  Plate  XXI, 
Fig.  5)  ;  and  after  having  wound  on  the  dubbing  and  fastened 
if  off,  wind  the  tinsel  on  spirally,  with  a  gap  between  each  turn, 
and  tie  off  in  the  same  way'as  the  dubbing.  A  complete  fly  of 
this  kind  is  shown  in  Fig.  6.  In  some  flies  it  is  the  custom  to 
wind  on  the  tinsel  the  reverse  way  to  the  hackle,  and  by  wind- 


TO  DRESS  TROUT  FLIES  329 

ing  it  over  the  hackle  the  hackle  is  bound  on  very  securely 
indeed,  which  if  it  be  a  weak  one  is  very  advantageous. 

As  various  materials  are  used  for  the  bodies  or  dubbing 
of  trout  flies,  different  methods  of  applying  them  must  be 
adopted.  Where  herl,  or  quill,  or  silk  is  used,  the  process 
is  tolerably  simple  ;  but  fur  of  some  kind — as  hare's  ear, 
water-rat's  or  moles's  fur,  etc. — is  occasionally  used,  and 
when  this  is  the  case,  the  following  plan  is  adopted  :  Pick 
out  as  much  fur  as  is  required  ;  break  it  up  and  pull  it  well  to 
mix  it  thoroughly  ;  distribute  it  in  a  httle  row  or  heap  along 
the  palm  of  the  hand  ;  then  rub  it  backwards  and  forwards 
between  the  hands,  or  with  two  fingers,  until  it  hangs  together 
in  something  like  consistency  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  14).  Then, 
the  silk  being  well  waxed,  lay  the  fur  along  it,  and  twirl  the  silk 
between  the  finger  and  thumb,  so  as  to  twist  the  dubbing 
round  it  and  incorporate  it  with  the  silk  (Fig.  13).  Wind  the 
dubbing  on  as  high  up  the  hook  as  may  be  required  ;  then, 
detaching  and  pulling  off  any  surplus  dubbing,  finish  the  silk 
off  in  the  usual  way  and  touch  with  varnish.  With  the  dubbing 
needle  pick  out  the  stray  hairs  and  such  of  the  fur  as  may  seem 
superfluous,  trimming  off  with  a  keen  pair  of  scissors  (taking 
care  in  these  rather  delicate  processes  not  to  sever  the  silken 
thread),  until  the  body  is  satisfactory  in  its  proportions.  When 
fur  dubbing  is  used,  the  silk  is  often  apt  to  get  too  frayed  for 
tying  off  the  hackle  and  wing,  and  some  difliculty  is  experi- 
enced in  tying  in  the  tip  of  the  hackle.  The  latter  process  can, 
as  I  have  said,  be  carried  out  when  lashing  the  gut  on,  so  as  to 
avoid  the  needless  return  of  the  silk  up  towards  the  head  of  the 
fly.  I  prefer  this  plan  myself.  The  dubbing  can  then  be  wound 
on,  the  single  thread  tied  off,  the  hackle  wound  over  it,  the 
same  thread  tying  off  the  hackle  and  wing  afterwards.  But 
such  as  may  prefer  it  can  use  a  double  thread,  by  commencing 
to  lap  on  the  gut  in  the  middle  of  the  silk,  beginning  with  a 
half  hitch,  and  leaving  half  the  silk  hanging  down  at  the 
head,  and  so  wind  on  to  the  tail  with  the  other  half  (see  Plate 
XXI,  Fig.  7)  the  tail  thread  being  used  to  work  the  dubbing, 
while  the  upper  thread  ties  off  the  hackle  and  wings.  This  is 
certainly  the  safest  plan  should  the  dubbing  thread  fray 
at  all. 

There  are  some  feathers  used  as  hackles  which  in  their 
natural  state  would  be  too  thick  in  the  quill  and  heavy  in 
the  fibre  for  a  delicate  trout  fly,  as  grouse  and  woodcock 
hackles,  etc.    These  are,  Hke  the  hackles  in  some  instances,  as  I 


330  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

have  before  mentioned,  stripped  on  one  side  (see  Plate  XXI, 
Fig.  ii) .  The  object  is  to  get  off  as  much  of  the  quill  as  possible 
without  breaking  the  feather  ;  and  here  again  be  careful  that 
the  right  side  of  the  feather  be  stripped  away,  as  if  the  wrong 
one  be  taken  off  it  will  be  difficult  to  wind  it  on.  If  the  operator 
winds  the  feather  away  from  him,  he  must  lay  the  feather 
with  the  outside  (the  bright  side  of  the  two)  upwards,  and 
strip  off  that  side  of  it  which  is  on  the  left  hand.  If  he  winds 
the  feather  towards  him,  of  course  the  reverse  side  must  be 
taken  off. 

There  is  also  a  method  of  preparing  a  hackle  which,  though 
chiefly  used  in  salmon  flies,  can  equally  well  be  adopted  for 
trout  if  it  be* thought  desirable.  Take  hold  of  the  tip  of  your 
hackle  with  a  pair  of  spring  tweezers,  put  them  over  whichever 
finger  be  most  convenient  for  the  length  of  the  hackle  on  the  left 
hand ;  bend  the  hackle  back  until  you  can  take  hold  of  the  butt 
of  it  between  the  finger  and  thumb,  the  bright  or  upper  face  of 
the  hackle  lying  downwards  towards  the  knuckles  (see  Plate 
XXI,  Fig.  8),  moisten  the  finger  and  thumb  of  the  right  hand, 
and  taking  the  two  sides  of  the  hackle  between  them,  press 
them  together,  gently  drawing  them  back  towards  the  butt  of 
the  feather  at  the  same  time.  Continue  this  process  the  whole 
length  of  the  hackle  until  the  fibres  remain  in  an  angular 
position  with  respect  to  the  quill  and  each  other  instead  of 
flat  as  previously  (see  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  9).  In  this  manner 
the  hackle  can  be  laid  on  very  neatly,  and  the  fibres  will  point 
all  one  way  with  great  regularity — albeit  the  legs  of  a  natural 
fly  by  no  means  do  so  ;?  and  in  this  respect  our  neatness  rather 
overdoes  nature.  1^. 

In  comparing  the  colours  of  the  material  with  those  of  the 
natural  fly,  a  due  allowance  should  always  be  made  for  the 
wetting  which  the  fly  gets,  as  this  frequently  deepens  and 
darkens  the  colour  two  or  three  shades.  Always  wet  the  fly 
before  comparison.  Even  the  very  laying  on  of  the  materials, 
particularly  in  bodies,  will  deepen  the  colour.  The  waxing  of 
silk  will  deepen  it  many  shades.  All  this  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  for  the  fly  which  on  the  hook  will  resemble  those  flitting 
over  the  water  to  a  nicety,  will,  when  on  the  water,  be  two  or 
three  shades  darker,  and  will  not  consequently  resemble  it  at 
all ;  and  colour  is  a  point  beyond  all  others  on  which  the  fish  are 
very  critical. 


PLATE  XXII. 


To  face  Page  331. 


Salmon   Fly  Dressing. 


HOW  TO  DRESS  A  SALMON  FLY  331 

In  referring  to  the  various  parts  of  a  salmon  fly,  I  must 
refer  the  reader  to  Plate  IX,  Fig.  8,  page  211 : — a,  is  the 
tag ;  h,  the  tail ;  c,  the  butt ;  d,  the  tinsel ;  e,  the  body ; 
/,  the  hackle  ;  g,  the  shoulder  hackle ;  h,  the  under  wing ; 
iy  the  upper  or  over  wing ;  y,  the  cheek  ;  h,  the  head ;  and 
I,  the  loop. 

Some  persons  also  dress  a  salmon  fly  by  the  aid  of  their 
fingers  alone*,  and  others,  particularly  with  the  more  compli- 
cated flies,  use  a  vice  and  all  the  other  implements  already 
mentioned  for  trout  flies  ;  but  the  vice  to  be  used  for  salmon 
flies  must  be  larger  and  more  powerful  than  that  employed  in 
the  making  of  trout  flies.  Again,  some  persons  tie  the  gut  to 
the  hook  as  in  trout  flies ;  and  though  this  is  the  neater  plan, 
perhaps,  and  makes  the  fly  swim  more  accurately,  it  is  not  safe, 
as  the  gut  at  the  head  of  the  fly  soon  gets  wounded,  and  then 
your  fly  is  useless  for  ever.  Some  lash  a  piece  of  stout  single  or 
treble  gut,  doubled  on  to  the  shank  of  the  hook,  leaving  a  small 
eye  just  above  the  end  of  the  shank,  and  through  this  eye  a 
strand  of  gut  is  passed  and  made  fast  by  a  knot,  hitch,  or  jamb  ; 
the  other  end,  having  a  loop,  is  looped  on  to  the  casting  line. 
This  is,  perhaps,  the  more  clumsy  and  coarse  plan,  as  it  thickens 
the  shank  of  the  hook  and  adds  bulk  to  the  fly.  Some,  again, 
employ  hooks  which  have  an  eye  already  forged  at  the 
end  of  the  shank  ;  and  though  this  in  time  is  apt  to  fret 
and  wear  the  gut  somewhat,  it  is,  if  the  tie  be  looked  to 
now  and  then,  not  only  the  neatest  and  safest  way,  but 
the  fly  is  safe  until  it  is  pulled  to  pieces  or  smashed  against 
a  stone.  The  fly  tyer  can  adopt  any  of  these  plans  which  he 
may  think  fit.  The  gut  loop  is  the  most  common  plan,  so 
I  will  briefly  describe  it. 

t     Take  the  best  bit  of  salmon  gut  you  have,  round  and  thick — 
'  it  is  the  best  economy,  one  ordinary  strand  will  cut  into  about 

*  Professional  tyers  seldom,  even  with  salmon  flies,  use  a  vice.  Their 
fingers  answer  all  purposes,  and  they  get  on  so  much  more  rapidly  than  the 
amateur,  and  obtain  so  much  more  precision,  by  carrying  out  only  one  pro- 
cess at  a  time  when  tying  flies  in  bulk  or  large  numbers.  For  a  certain 
time,  for  example,  they  will  tie  nothing  but  bodies,  and  then  having  selected 
a  good  stock  of  the  various  coloured  dubbings  required,  no  time  is  lost  in 
hunting  for  each  separate  colour.  There  they  lie  ready  to  hand,  and  a  pinch 
is  picked  off  one  after  the  other  as  it  is  required,  and  the  tyer  goes  on  tying 
bodies,  perhaps  two,  three,  or  four  dozen  or  more,  all  of  the  same  pattern, 
until  the  dubbing  is  exhausted  ;  the  consequence  is,  that  if  any  fault  is  made 
in  one  body,  it  is  instantly  corrected  in  the  next.  After  this  hackles,  and 
then  wings,  are  served  in  the  same  way.  The  result  of  this  practice  is  won- 
derful accuracy,  quickness,  and  neatness. — F.  F. 


332  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

four  loops — double  it,  leaving  one  end  somewhat  longer  than 
the  other,  bite  the  gut  that  is  to  be  lashed  to  the  shank  well  up 
and  down  between  the  teeth  to  ensure  its  not  drawing  ;  then 
lay  it  to  the  hook,  and  with  a  fine  strong  double  thread  of 
glover's  silk,  or  any  other  silk  that  is  fine  and  strong,  well 
waxed,  begin  at  the  head  or  shoulder  and  lash  it  firmly  on, 
leaving  a  gut  loop  as  in  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  2.  And  here 
I  may  pause  to  say,  always  get  the  best,  newest,  finest, 
and  strongest  silk  you  can  buy  for  money.  It  is  not  always 
easy  to  obtain.  Old  silk  is  pretty  sure  to  get  rotten,  and  rotten 
silk  is  an  abomination.  It  always  fails  you  when  it  should  not 
— just  as  you  are  tying  in  or  tying  off  a  hackle,  and  want  to 
make  an  unusually  strong  and  tight  hitch.  You  must  have  two 
or  three  colours  ;  the  lighter  ones  are  best,  white  best  of  all, 
yellow  next,  and  then  red  ;  avoid  green  or  black,  as  those  dyes 
rot  the  silk,  green  especially^ 

Having  tied  in  your  loop,  leaving  a  good  long  end  of  silk 
hanging  down,  proceed  to  business  ;j  and  here,  again,  I  must 
pause  to  bid  you  observe  that  you  do  not  commence  to  tie  the 
gut  on  quite  up  to  the  end  of  the  hook,  as  observe  in  the  cut. 
If  you  do,  you  make  an  unsafe  and  clumsy  shoulder  to  the  fly. 
Now  put  your  hook  in  the  vice,  if  you  use  one,  as  most  ama- 
teurs do.  The  young  tyer  particularly  will  want  all  his  fingers 
about  the  fly,  and  will  not  find  it  at  all  easy  to  hold  the  hook 
and  tie  too.  He  may  possibly  come  to  it  in  time,  but  at  first  he 
will  find  his  vice  a  great  convenience  ;  and  if  he  be  a  wealthy 
man,  and  can  afford  to  buy  one  of  those  splendid  vices  of 
Holtzappfel's,  in  Cockspur  Street,  which  cost  some  three 
or  four  pounds,  and  by  which  the  hook  can  be  twisted  about 
in  any  direction,  no  doubt  he  will  reahse  the  convenience  of  the 
same. 

Having  fixed  his  hook  firmly,  he  must,  by  the  aid  of  the 
loose  silk  hanging  from  the  bend  of  the  hook,  tie  on  the  tag, 
which  is  usually  a  bit  of  tinsel.  Let  him  make  a  long  turn  of 
the  silk  first  over  the  end  of  the  tinsel,  as  far  down  towards  the 
bend  of  the  hook  as  he  wishes  to  go,  then  lap  round  Hghtly  back 
towards  the  head  of  the  fly,  so  as  not  to  have  to  go  over  the  same 
ground  with  the  silk  twice,  and,  having  fixed  the  end  firmly 
and  taken  a  half  hitch  (see  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  2),  twist  the  tinsel 
two  or  three  times  round  the  hook,  so  that  each  turn  shall  be 
evenly  side  by  side.  Tie  the  remainder  of  the  tinsel  off  firmly 
with  a  couple  of  turns  and  a  half  hitch,  and  cut  off  the 
fragment,  but  not  too  closely  to  the  silk,  or  it  may  happen  to 


DRESSING  A  SALMON  FLY  333 

slip  out  subsequently.  It  often  happens  that  a  turn  or  two  of 
floss  silk  will  be  added  to  the  tag  ;  when  tying  off  the  tinsel 
the  end  of  a  fragment  of  floss  silk  must  be  inserted  in  under  the 
tie  and  tied  in,  the  tying  silk  still  being  worked  back  towards 
the  head.  The  floss  is  then  served  in  the  same  fsahion  as  the 
tinsel,  and  cut  off. 

Then  comes  the  tail,  which  is  usually' V'small" topping  or 
some  other  fragment  of  feather.  If  two  or  three  sorts  of  feathers 
or  fibres  be  used,  care  must  be  taken  to  make  them  all  he 
together  and  in  the  same  direction,  which  is  usually,  in  the  case 
of  a  topping  or  other  whole  feather,  bending  upwards  and 
slightly  away  from  the  bend  of  the  hook.  Having  placed  the 
feathers  on  the  back  of  the  hook,  take  three  laps  of  the  silk  and 
a  half  hitch.  If  a  butt  is  required — as  is  often  the  case,  as  it 
serves  to  set  off  and  add  brilliancy  to  the  fly,  besides  hiding  the 
tie  and  the  stump  of  the  tail — after  taking  two  turns  of  the  silk, 
nip  it  with  a  pair  of  spring  tweezers,*  and  let  them  hang  down 
so  as  to  keep  the  silk  in  its  place.  Plate  XXI,  Fig.  8,  shows  the 
spring  tweezers  holding  the  end  of  the  hackle.  Then  take  a 
strand  or  two  of  peacock  or  ostrich  herl,  or  whatever  substance 
be  selected,  tie  on  the  end  of  it  as  in  the  former  process  (see 
Plate  XXII,  Fig.  3),  take  two  or  three  turns  of  it,  taking  care 
that  the  fibres  of  the  herl  point  towards  the  tail,  and  then  tie 
and  fasten  off. 

Next  comes  the  body  and  the  tinsel :  as  the  simplest,  we 
will  suppose  that  the  body  is  of  silk.  Cut  off  enough  floss  to 
make  the  body  and  to  spare,  also  as  much  tinsel  as  may  be 
needed,  and  tie  the  ends  of  them  in  close  down  to  the  butt  in 
the  usual  way  (see  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  4) .  If  the  hackle  is  to  reach 
from  head  to  tail,  the  point  of  the  hackle  must  also  be  tied  in, 

I^^ii  only  half  or  two-thirds  of  the  way  down  the  body,  it  can  be 
JKied  in  after  the  silk  and  tinsel  is  tied  in  at  its  proper  place,  and 
■  then  left  to  hang  (Fig.  4) .  The  tying  silk  is  then  wound  on  up 
to  the  shoulder,  and  there  hangs  also  until  required.  Now, 
having  clean  fingers  (for  floss  easily  discolours  and  loses  its 
gloss  if  handled  with  soiled  digits) ,  smooth  the  floss  out  and  pull 
it  so  that  it  lies  perfectly  even  and  flat,  and  then  wind  it  care- 

*  The  fly  here  will  require  two  pairs  of  them  ;  they  should  be  short  and 
strong,  and  of  the  shape  shown  in  Plate  XXI,  Fig,  8.  He  will  also  require 
two  pairs  of  scissors,  one  of  a  stoutish  build,  such  as  a  pair  of  nail  scissors, 
for  cutting  rough  feathers,  tinsel,  etc.,  and  one  very  fine  pair  to  nip  oft  fine 
fibres  neatly.  The  points  of  these  should  always  be  in  good  order.  They 
should  be  kept  in  a  leathern  sheath,  and  out  of  the  ken  of  all  females,  or  they 
will  be  looked  on  as  lawful  spoil  and  degraded  to  lace  work,  or  to  some  hideous 
muslin  enchantment  designed  to  entrap  some  wretched  gudeeon. — F.  F. 


334  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

fully  round  and  round  the  hook,  so  as  to  make  one  round,  even, 
shining  body  of  floss  silk.  Simple  as  this  may  seem,  it  is  not 
easy  to  turn  out  a  first-rate  silk  body.  The  body  should  grad- 
ually, but  imperceptibly,  increase  a  little  in  thickness  towards 
the  shoulders ;  when  it  reaches  the  tying  silk  tie  off  the  floss 
and  then  lay  on  the  tinsel,  which  should  be  wound  on  in  good 
bold  spiral  rings  up  to  the  shoulder,  where  that  also  is  tied  off 
(Fig.  5).  Next  comes  the  hackle,  and  that  is  wound  on, 
following  the  course  of  the  tinsel,  and  lying  side  by  side  with  it 
(on  the  upper  side  of  the  tinsel,  of  course).  Tie  the  hackle  off, 
and  then  pass  the  silk  round  tightly  four  or  five  times,  and 
finish  with  a  hitch  (Fig.  6) .  Touch  the  silk  with  varnish  to  keep 
all  secure,  and  lay  the  fly  aside  until  dry,  when  the  hackle  can 
be  pressed  down  into  its  place,  and  the  wing  can  subsequently 
be  tied  on  as  in  Fig.  7. 

At  this  stage  it  often  occurs  that  another  hackle  is  used,  and 
two  or  three  turns  of  a  different  colour  are  employed  to  add 
contrast  to  the  fly.  The  length  of  the  fibres  must  here  be 
attended  to  :  these  must  be  properly  matched,  and  if  the  fibres 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  supplementary  hackle  be  too  short, 
they  must,  of  course,  be  broken  off.  A  piece  of  hackle  sufficient 
for  the  purpose  is  then  tied  in,  two  or  three  turns  are  taken, 
and  it  is  fastened  off,  and  touched  with  varnish  as  before 
mentioned. 

If  two  or  more  hackles  be  required,^either  to  thicken  the 
hackhng  or  to  give  variety  of  colour  to^the  fly,  the  best  plan 
will  be  to  tie  them  in  to  their  respective  places  while  lashing  on 
the  gut ;  separate  pieces  of  silk  might  subsequently  be  used, 
but  the  more  work  you  can  get  out  of  the  single  strand  the 
better,  and  the  less  bulky  and  clumsy  the  fly  will  be.  Be  sure, 
however,  where  a  junction  of  hackles  is  to  be  effected,  to 
carefully  compare  the  length  of  the  fibres,  so  that  the  hackling 
may  graduate  properly.  To  this  end  the  fine  point  of  the  second 
hackle  for  some  distance  will  have  to  be  eschewed.  But  all  this 
the  fly  tyer  will  discover  after  a  failure  or  two. 

And  now  as  to  the  putting  on  of  a  hackle.  There  are  various 
methods  adopted.  First,  if  the  hackle  be  not  wanted  very 
thickly  on  the  fly,  one  side  is  stripped  off,  as  is  described  in  the 
directions  to  the  trout  flies.  Take  care  you  strip  off  the  right 
side  is  a  caution  I  must  repeat.  To  make  a  hackle  lie 
very  neatly  and^well  upon  the  fly,  it  is  best  to  prepare  it  as  is 
also  described  in  the  direction  for  tying  trout  flies.  Sometimes, 
though  not  often,  two  hackles  of  a  different  colour  are  used  at 


THE  HACKLE  AND  THE  WING  335 

the  same  time.  Having  "  prepared  "  them  both,  lay  one 
lengthwise  within  the  other,  and  wind  them  on  both  at  the  same 
time.  I  may  state  here,  that  this  is  a  good  plan  where  very 
thick  hackling  is  desired,  as  in  palmers,  for  chub-fishing, 
for  example. 

One  of  the  most  di£&cult  hackles  to  strip  and  make  ready  for 
the  hook  is  the  small  blue  barred  feather  in  the  jay's  wing.  It 
requires  to  be  stripped  with  great  care  and  nicety,  so  as  to  take 
off  as  much  of  the  quill  as  possible  without  weakening  the 
feather  too  much  ;  the  process  is  much  the  same  with  a  grouse, 
bustard,  or  other  hackle.  Taking  care  to  select  the  proper  side, 
separate  the  fibres  on  one  side  or  the  other  near  the  top,  and 
then  pull  them  steadily  apart  as  evenly  as  possible,  so  as  to 
strip  off  one  side  of  the  feather  entirely.  If  too  much  of  the  quill 
be  left  on  near  the  butt  of  the  feather,  so  that  it  would  roll  on 
clumsily,  take  a  very  sharp  knife,  and  with  great  care  not  to 
cut  or  damage  the  quill,  shave  off  some  of  the  pith  until  you 
have  it  to  the  requisite  thickness  of  substance.  It  is  a  common 
practice  to  prepare  a  large  number  of  jay's  feathers  thus, 
so  as  to  have  plenty  in  hand  ;  but  it  is  not  a  good  plan,  as 
they  are  apt  to  fade  somewhat,  and  lose  some  of  their  bril- 
liancy, which  is  a  great  desideratum  in  a  jay's  feather.  The 
newer  you  can  get  your  feathers  the  better,  and  it  is  not  there- 
fore desirable  to  prepare  a  very  large  stock,  more  especially 
as,  by  long  keeping,  the  stripped  and  shaved  quill  gets  dry  and 
brittle  and  weak,  and  an  old  one  is  very  apt  to  break  in  the 
rolling  on.  Hackles,  more  particularly  in  the  spring,  when 
kelts  abound  whose  lean  jaws  and  long  teeth  play  havoc  with 
good  flies,  are  very  apt  to  get  cut ;  they  then  unroll,  and  the 
fly  is  almost  useless.  In  such  flies  the  method  of  rolhng  on  the 
tinsel  the  reverse  way,  and  after  the  hackle,  so  as  to  strengthen 
the  hackle,  and  to  secure  it  from  damage  as  much  as  possible, 
will  be  found  useful.  This  plan  was  first  used  on  the  Spey  flies, 
and  it  is  invariably  used  on  them  now  :  it  is  by  no  means  a  bad 
plan,  but  requires  some  little  care  and  neatness. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  nicest  operation  of  all,  which  is  that 
of  winging  the  fly.  If  the  body  and  hackle  have  been  put  on 
judgmatically,  a  short  space  at^  the  head  of  the  hook  is  left 

1^  uncovered.    See  that  the  silk  is  strong  and  well  waxed,  and  then 
B  select  the  feathers  or  fibres  of  feathers  you  design  to  use.    In 
some  flies  but  one  feather,  as  mallard  or  turkey,  is  used  to  form 
the  wing.    Two  slips  of  this  material  can  be  tied  on  in  the  usual 


336  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

fly  tying.  In  some  flies,  however,  especially  in  the  Dee  flies, 
these  wings  are  tied  on  so  as  to  spread  out  apart.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  they  must  set  at  the  same  angle  precisely,  and  this 
the  tyro  will  find  not  easy  to  accomplish.  See  that  the  slips 
correspond  exactly.  Settle  the  length  carefully,  and  nip  the  butt 
of  each  feather,  and  if  a  tie  of  silk  be  lapped  round  it  the  tyer 
will  be  able  to  make  it  set  easier  ;  then  tie  the  slips  on  at  the 
right  angle,  one  at  a  time,  and  after  tying  on  a  dozen  or  two, 
and  making  as  many  awful  abortions,  he  may  hope  to  get  some 
idea  of  the  manner.  If  they  are  to  run  in  slips  or  fibres,  cut  the 
slips  from  feathers  out  of  right  and  left  wings  if  possible,  and 
they  will  lie  and  show  the  better ;  lay  the  slips  upon  one 
another  on  either  side,  with  the  best  sides  outwards,  between 
the  left  forefinger  and  thumb,  as  in  trout-wings,  taking  care 
that  the  points  of  the  feathers  properly  correspond  in  length. 
When  you  have  as  many  slips  and  fibres  as  you  require,  having 
measured  and  judged  carefuUy  the  length  of  wing  you  need, 
at  the  right  spot  pinch  the  butts  of  the  feathers  together  with 
the  right  thumb-nail  and  forefinger  so  as  to  get  the  butt  of  the 
wing  compressed  into  the  smallest  possible  space  preparatory 
to  tying  on.  Lay  this  point  of  the  feathers  to  the  bare  place 
in  the  hook  already  spoken  of,  and  take  two  turns  with  the 
tying  silk,  which  you  can  then  keep  in  its  place  by  the  weight 
of  the  spring  tweezers  ;  then  relinquish  the  wing,  which  up  to 
this  time  you  have  held  between  the  left  finger  and  thumb, 
and  see  how  it  sets.  Should  any  of  the  feathers  have  turned 
or  not  set  well,  you  must  work  the  wing  about  until  they  are 
righted,  or  you  may  have  to  slacken  the  silk,  or  even,  if  things 
are  very  bad,  to  rearrange  the  feathers,  or  even  to  shear  off  the 
offending  fibres.  No  special  directions  can  be  given  in  such  a 
case  ;  practice  alone  will  enable  the  fly  tyer  to  overcome  such 
difficulties.  When  all  sets  right,  take  three  or  four  sharp  turns 
with  the  silk,  and  then  a  half  hitch.  If  you  want  the  fly  to  be 
very  firm  and  strong  in  the  wing,  touch  the  tie  now  with  a  drop 
of  varnish,  and  lay  it  aside  until  dry. 

If  an  under  wing  as  well  as  an  over  wing  be  used,  of  course 
it  must  be  tied  on  first,  and  then  the  over  wing.  Cheek  feathers 
— that  is,  short  feathers,  as  kingfisher  or  small  jungle  cock, 
which  are  often  put  on  at  the  shoulder  on  either  side  of  the 
wing  to  give  additional  brilHance  to  the  fly  or  toppings  over  the 
wing — are  always  put  on  after  the  main  portion  of  the  wing, 
and  both  are  often  very  troublesome  to  get  to  set  well.  The 
cheek  feathers  will  sometimes  turn  any  way  but  the  right  when 


THE  SET  OF  THE  WING  337 

the  silk  presses  on  them,  and  here  also  practice  alone  will 
enable  the  tyer  to  contend  with  the  difficulty. 

When  the  feathers  of  the  wing  are  tied  safely  on,  cut  off  the 
refuse  at  the  head  of  the  fly,  pretty  closely  to  the  tie,  unless 
you  have  toppings  to  put  on.  Toppings  before  being  laid  on 
should  be  nipped  with  the  thumb-nail  at  the  butt,  and  the  quill 
bent  slightly,  so  that  they  may,  when  tied  on,  have  the  proper 
set  (see  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  9,  p.  331) ;  and  one  of  the  most  difficult 
operations  I  know  of  is  to  make  half  a  dozen  toppings  set  and 
He  well  together  ;  one  or  the  other,  particularly  if  they  be 
pretty  large  ones,  will  "  stare  ''  or  point  out  of  the  right  direc- 
tion, thus  rendering  the  fly,  which  in  other  respects  is  an 
artistic  and  well- tied  chef-d'oeuvre,  the  visible  sign  of  a  tyro 
and  a  bungler.  Many  a  time  have  I  arranged  a  wing  of  toppings 
a  dozen  times  over  before  I  could  get  them  to  set  properly. 
To  avoid  having  to  drill  such  an  awkward  squad,  the  tyro 
should  select  the  toppings  he  is  about  to  employ  with  care. 
They  should  all  be  of  the  same  form  and  bend,  and  the  quills 
straight  and  true,  for  if  one  quill  turns  towards  the  left,  and 
another  towards  the  right,  unless  he  can  nip  them  properly 
and  with  certainty,  so  that  they  shall  take  the  tie  kindly,  they 
will  assume  their  natural  bias. 

Not  that  it  matters  two  straws  to  the  fish  whether  the 
topping  bends  one  way  or  the  other,  for  in  the  water  the  stream 
soon  corrects  all  such  little  eccentricities  ;  in  fact,  it  is  possible 
that  the  fish  may  prefer  them  so,  as  having  more  play  and 
motion.  They  are  often  dressed  upside  down,  and  stand  hke 
a  Prince  of  Wales'  plume  in  the  "  Erne  Parson  ;  "  but  it  is  not 
the  fish  he  has  to  please  but  that  hostile  critic  at  the  other 
table,  that  chap  Jones,  who  can  knock  off  two  ffies  to  your  one, 
and  whose  hackles  and  toppings  never  stare,  whose  tails  curve 
upwards  in  one  right  line  (not  several),  and  whose  wings  drop 
into  their  places  like  magic,  and  never  want  rearranging,  while 
his  heads  don't  come  to  pieces  on  handling.  Ah!  what  a  treat 
it  is  to  see  Jones  take  your  fly  out  of  the  vice,  and  to  hear  him 
ask  "  What  is  this  meant  for  ?  and  what  makes  you  prefer  a 
fly  with  a  tail  like  a  turkey  cock  ?  "  What  makes  you,  eh  ? 
why,  envy,  hatred,  malice,  and  all  uncharitableness  make 
you.  But  never  mind,  your  bungle  wipes  Jones's  eye  for  all 
that,  and  catches  that  eighteen  pounder  in  an  unguarded 
moment  which  he  missed  the  other  day  ;  so  equilibrium,  as  far 
as^you  are  concerned,  is'^restored,  though  Jones  is  sulky  of 
course,   and  hints  darkly,  opprobriously,   and  distantly,   as 


338  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

though  alluding  to  something  taking  place  on  Benmore,  miles 
away,  about  "  muff's  luck." 

The  toppings  tied  on,  cut  off  the  refuse  butts  of  the  feathers, 
as  before  directed,  touch  with  varnish,  and  allow  to  dry. 

The  last  thing  you  have  to  put  on  is  the  head.  Now,  it  is 
the  custom  to  make  heads  of  ostrich  or  peacock  herl,  but  such 
heads  never  last,  they  soon  whip  out  and  come  to  pieces  ;  and 
to  put  in  anything  that  you  know  will  not  last  is  simply  absurd. 
I  generally  use  some  small  chenille  of  different  colours  ;  two 
turns  of  this  well  tied  off  will  last,  and  preserve  the  tying  of  the 
wing  from  damage  for  ever.  No  matter  what  you  use,  lay  the 
end  of  it  against  the  hook  on  the  under  side,  where  we  would 
suppose  the  throat  to  be.  The  herl  or  chenille  lying  towards 
the  body  of  the  fly  (see  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  7,  p.  331),  tie  it  on 
with  one  or  two  turns  of  the  silk,  then  take  one  or  two  turns 
of  the  substance  and  tie  it  off. 

If  the  fly  be  well  and  properly  tied  there  should  be  yet  a 
slight  fragment  of  the  hook  left  unoccupied  between  the  head 
and  the  eye  or  loop.  Take  one  or  two  turns  of  the  silk  round 
this  and  fasten  off  strongly,  touch  with  varnish,  and  hang  up 
your  fly  to  dry  thoroughly  :  it  is  now  complete.  In  all  processes 
where  you  touch  with  varnish  allow  it  to  dry  thoroughly  before 
you  go  on  with  the  next  process.  Fig.  8  shows  the  head,  etc., 
all  complete. 

This  is  the  way  which  I  employ  in  tying  a  salmon  fly,  and  I 
think  it  is  the  best  and  simplest.  I  puzzled  this  plan  out  for 
myself,  never  having  taken  a  lesson  of  a  fly  tyer  in  my  life, 
though  after  I  was  able  to  tie  a  fly  I  have  watched  many 
professors  at  work.  There  are  other  ways,  most  of  which,  I 
think,  are  more  complicated  and  difficult.  There  is  one  plan 
already  mentioned,  and  which  is  sometimes  advantageous, 
and  that  is,  when  beginning  the  fly,  to  use  a  good  long  piece  of 
silk,  and  to  commence  in  the  middle  of  the  silk,  allowing  one 
end  of  it  to  hang  down  at  the  shoulder.  This  comes  well  in, 
if  a  fur  body  be  used,  for  tying  off  the  hackles,  tinsel,  wing,  etc. 

If  a  fur  body  be  used  instead  of  a  floss  one,  select  your  fur, 
pig's  wool,  mohair,  seal's  fur,  or  whatever  the  substance  may  be, 
pull  it  into  short  lengths,  particularly  pig's  wool  or  mohair,  pick 
out  the  coarse  fibres,  and  then  lay  a  sufficient  quantity  along  in 
the  palm  of  your  hand  and  roll  it  over  and  over  by  the  fingers, 
as  already  directed  in  trout  flies.  The  body  will  most  probably 
be  too  thick,  and  you  must  pull  off  or  pick  out  as  much  with 
your  dubbing  needle  as  you  may  think  desirable,  until  the  body 


BLACKER'S  METHOD  339 

is  reduced  to  the  proper  size.  If  there  be  not  enough  dubbing 
on  the  silk  for  the  whole  body  you  must  feed  the  silk  with  a 
fresh  supply.  If  a  hackle  needs  to  be  tied  in,  say  half-way  up, 
put  on  only  as  much  dubbing  as  will  reach  that  spot,  or,  if 
need  be,  pull  it  off,  tie  in  the  hackle,  and  then  feed  the  silk  with 
more  dubbing.  When  the  body  is  long  enough,  pull  off  any 
refuse  dubbing,  and  tie  the  silk  itself  with  a  couple  of  half 
hitches  ;  then  your  spare  end,  above  alluded  to,  comes  into 
play  to  tie  off  hackles,  tinsel,  etc.,  if  it  be  not  frayed — if  it  is  not 
trustworthy,  a  fresh  piece  of  silk  must  be  used. 

In  looking  over  other  works  which  give  directions  upon 
salmon  fly-fishing,  the  first  work  I  take  into  consideration  is 
Blacker 's  Fly  Making,  Angling,  and  Dyeing.  The  flies  sold 
by  Blacker  were  so  beautifully  tied,  and  his  reputation  as  a 
tyer  stood  so  high,  that  one  has  a  right  to  expect  first-rate 
directions  from  such  a  master  ;  but  I  confess  that  I  am  disap- 
pointed in  them,  and  that  many  of  them  appear  to  me  not  only 
puzzling  but  almost  impracticable.  His  "  easy  way  of  tying 
a  salmon  fly  "  is  first  to  tie  on  the  wings  the  reverse  way  and 
these  are  afterwards  to  be  turned  and  tied  down  the  proper  way, 
a  process  which,  if  it  be  not  utterly  destructive  of  the  wing, 
is  a  needlessly  bad  one.  Then  the  hackle  is  to  be  tied  in  at  the 
butt  with  the  dubbing  and  the  tinsel,  and  these  are  to  be  worked 
down  to  the  tail  and  tied  off,  and  a  tail  is  then  to  be  tied  on. 
Now,  in  the  first  place,  what  is  to  hide  the  tie  which  ties  on  the 
tail  ?  Nothing  ;  it  must  be  left  exposed.  Then  a  hackle  tied 
in  at  the  butt,  and  worked  down  by  the  point,  so  that  the  point, 
which  is  much  the  weakest  part  of  the  hackle,  has  the  most 
pulhng  and  chafing.  Then  this  hackle,  as  well  as  the  dubbing 
and  the  tinsel,  has  to  be  tied  off  at  the  tail,  and  what  is  to 
conceal  all  that  mass  of  tying  off  ?  Even  if  the  tail  is  put  over 
the  top  side  of  it  it  can  only  partially  hide  it,  and  a  terribly  bun- 
gling affair  a  tail  so  tied  on  would  be,  while  below  there  is  a 
perfect  mass  of  tying  exposed,  with  nothing  at  all  to  hide  it. 
Again,  if  a  shorter  hackle  is  to  be  used,  a  turn  or  two  is  to  be 
taken  ;  it  is  to  be  fastened  off  under  the  wings  ;  but  the 
hackle  must  of  course  go  on  over  the  body,  and  how  on 
earth  is  a  hackle  to  be  tied  off  over  dubbing  ? 

I  never  read  such  extraordinary  directions,  and  if  I  had  not 
known  Blacker  to  have  been  an  artist  of  the  very  first  rank,  I 
should,  judging  from  these  directions,  have  thought  him  no 
tyer  at  all.  His  directions,  however,  for  tying  the  gaudy 
salmon   fly,   though   of  the  briefest,   show  that   his  modus 


340  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

operandi  is  very  similar  to  the  one  I  have  ahready  given,  so  we 
will  eschew  his  easy  method  and  stick  to  his  difficult  one. 

To  explain  the  full  method  of  tying  the  jointed  flies  with 
manes,  mid-hackles,  and  herls,  of  Erris  and  elsewhere,  would  be 
a  work  of  supererogation,  as  no  tyer  will  venture  to  begin  with 
such  patterns,  and  when  he  is  able  to  tie  according  to  the  direc- 
tions I  have  furnished  him  with,  quickly  and  well,  he  will  hit 
off  the  method  of  tying  any  other  pattern  which  may  be  possible 
or  desirable  without  difficulty.  Practice  is  the  great  thing,  and 
a  cessation  of  even  a  few  months  throws  one  back  in  the  art 
more  than  would  be  believed  by  the  uninitiated. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CONCLUSION 
On  Hooks — ^The  Bait  Table — Recipes  and  Notabilia 

PERHAPS  there  is  no  point  of  greater  importance,  or 
to  which  the  great  majority  of  anglers  pay  less 
attention,  than  that  of  hooks.  Yet  everything 
depends  upon  having  a  hook  that  will  take  a  good 
hold  and  keep  it.  No  matter  if  you  possess  the  most  perfect 
skill,  if  your  tackle  be  as  fine  and  as  sound  as  can  be'  manu- 
factured, yet  if  your  hook  be  not  thoroughly  trustworthy  all 
the  rest  is  set  at  nought,  There  is  no  economy  so  miserable,  so 
shortsighted,  and  so  expensive  in  the  long  run,  as  that  indulged 
in  by  buying  cheap  hooks.  A  hook  may  be  bad  from  various 
causes.  It  may  be  badly  tempered,  being  hardened  either  too 
much  or  too  httle.  In  the  first  case,  the  point  will  certainly 
break  in  the  strike  when  it  touches  a  bone,  and  you  will  lose 
your  fish  ;  and  lucky  are  you  if  that  be  the  only  fish  you  lose. 
Usually  the  angler  from  carelessness  loses,  misses,  or  scratches 
two  or  three  other  fish  before  the  fact  dawns  upon  him  that 
there  may  be  something  amiss  with  the  hook  ;  and,  when  he 
examines  it,  he  finds  that  the  fine  dehcate  extreme  point  is 
gone,  and  a  rough,  scratching,  blunt  point,  that  cannot  be 
made  to  take  a  hold  anyhow,  remains.  Even  with  the  best  of 
hooks  this  accident  will  sometimes  happen,  should  the  point 
strike  on  a  hard  sohd  bone.  In  these  instances  a  touch  of  a  fine 
needle-file  (the  finest  kind  of  file  in  use)  will  put  all  to  rights 
again  ;  but  so  biting  and  effective  are  these  files  that  they 
ct  very  k33.ily,  a i  i,  t  herefore,  a  sHght  touch  or  two  is  all  that 
is  necessary.  But,  of  course,  with  over-tempered  hooks  this 
accident  is  infinitely  more  probable.  An  over-tempered  hook, 
however,  a  fresh  point  being  given  to  it,  will  often  take  a 
number  of  fish  without  going  again,  the  extra  fine  hair-like 
point  having  been  got  rid^of,  and  all  that  will  be  required  will 
be  a  rather  sharper  strike.  Still,  with  a  heavy  fish  you  are 
never  safe  ;   a  jump  or  a  jerk  may^leave  you  without  a  fish  and 

341 


342  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

only  half  a  hook.  This  I  have  seen  on  many  occasions,  when 
not  the  slightest  blame  was  due  to  the  angler,  save  for  his  buy- 
ing untrustworthy  hooks.  As  a  rule,  the  angler  should  always 
try  his  hooks.  Stick  the  point  carefully  into  a  piece  of  soft 
deal,  and  then  give  the  gut  a  smart  (not  too  smart)  tug,  and  if 
the  hook  stands  you  may  fairly  rely  upon  it.  This  is  advisable 
with  all  hooks,  for,  though  good  tackle  makers,  as  a  rule,  do 
usually  buy  good  hooks,  and  pay  a  fair  price  for  them,  a  few 
bad  hooks  may  creep  into  every  packet. 

But,  if  an  over- tempered  hook  be  a  nuisance,  an  under- 
tempered  one  is  ten  times  more  so.  An  under- tempered  hook 
springs  or  opens  with  very  Uttle  persuasion  ;  that  is,  the  bend 
and  shape  of  the  hook  is  destroyed,  the  point  stands  outward, 
the  efficiency  of  the  hook  is  gone,  and  an  entire  change  of  fly  is 
necessary.  It  is  not  of  the  shghtest  avail  to  bend  the  hook 
back  into  its  place  again,  as,  having  once  been  sprung,  it  will 
spring  again  much  more  easily.  The  point  off  your  hook  is^not 
as  bad  as  a  sprung  hook.  What  can  be  more  annoying  than  to 
find  the  fish  well  on  the  rise  at  some  particular  fly,  to  hunt  out 
perhaps  one  soHtary  specimen  of  the  fly  from  a  half-forgotten 
corner  of  your  book,  and  then,  after  taking  a  fish  or  two,  to  find 
the  hook  sprung  ? 

I  will  illustrate  the  nuisance  of  bad  hooks  by  two  short 
anecdotes.  In  the  first  instance  the  hooks  were  either  over- 
tempered  or  made  of  downright  bad  stuff.  It  is  immaterial 
from  which  cause  they  broke ;  it  is  sufficient  that  they  were 
bad  hooks.  A  friend  of  mine,  who  owned  some  fine  trout- 
fishing  where  the  fish  ran  heavy,  was  a  httle  inclined  to  be 
economical  in  the  purchase  of  his  tackle,  and  took  it  into  his 
head  one  day,  several  years  ago,  to  buy  some  flies  of  a  tackle 
maker  who  was  notorious  for  selhng  cheap  rubbish.  I  will  not 
give  his  name,  even  though  he  has  long  since  retired  from 
business,  but  will  call  him  Snooks.  I  am  not  aware  that  any 
tackle  maker  of  eminence  can  lay  claim  to  the  appellation,  and, 
therefore,  my  words  will  offend  no  one.  Coming  to  me  one  day, 
rubbing  his  hands,  my  friend  displayed  some  very  nice  looking 
flies.  "  There,  old  fellow,  look  at  that.  Eighteen  pence  a 
dozen.    What  do  you  think  of  that,  eh  ?  " 

"  Think  ?  "  quoth  I.    "  Cheap  and  nasty,  for  a  certainty." 

"  What  fault  can  you  find  with  them  ?  Aren't  they  well 
tied  ?  " 

"  Oh,  they  look  well  enough,"  I  answered. 

"  Look  well  enough  !    Of  course  they  do  ;  and  they'll  stan4 


AVOID  CHEAP  HOOKS  343 

well  enough,  for  that  matter  ;  and  why  should  I  pay or 

two  shiUings  and  sixpence  a  dozen  when  I  can  get  the  same 
flies  of  Snooks  for  one  shilling  and  sixpence  ?  " 

"  Well,  we  shall  see  how  they  stand.  I,  for  my  sins,  once,  in  a 
hurry,  bought  a  dozen  black  gnats  of  him,  and  whipped  them 
all  to  pieces  in  one  morning  for  less  than  as  many  fish.  I  have 
neverj^boughf'a  fly  there  since." 

"  Ah,  that's  just  hke  you  ;   you  always  run  Snooks  down." 

"  Not  I.  I  care  nothing  about  him  personally  ;  I  speak 
as  I  find.  But,  if  the  hooks  and  gut  be  good,  and  the  flies 
be  well  tied,  they  cannot  be  had  for  the  money,  so  as  to  leave 
the  tackle  maker  who  sells  them  a  fair  profit." 

"  Well,  we  shall  see." 

Three  or  four  days  after  I  walked  into  my  friend's  house. 
He  was  out.  I  went  into  his  sanctum,  where  his  rod  hung 
always  ready  for  action.  On  one  of  the  nails  below  it  hung  a 
collar  of  gut,  and  the  fly  showed  that  it  had  been  used  but  an 
hour  or  so  before.  I  recognised  the  fly  as  one  of  the  dozen  my 
friend  had  bought  at  Snooks's,  and,  taking  it  in  my  hand,  I 
found  the  point  and  barb  entirely  gone,  the  hook  having 
broken  at  the  bend.  Just  as  I  made  the  discovery  my  friend 
entered.  I  turned  to  him  with  the  fly  in  my  hand,  and,  holding 
it  out,  I  uttered  but  one  word,  and  that  word  was  "  Snooks." 
My  friend  was  a  little  irate  and  a  little  confused.  He  had  had 
hold  of  a  good  fish  in  the  mill-tail,  a  three-pounder  :  the  fish 
gave  a  jump,  and,  somehow,  there  was  too  much  of  a  strain,  or 
something  ;  but  the  hook  broke,  and  the  fish,  of  course,  was 
"  spoilt  "  for  a  month  to  come.  It  was  a  fine  morning  for 
fishing,  so,  taking  town  his  rod,  we  strolled  together  down  the 
stream.  He  rigged  up  another  "  Snooks  "  in  the  meantime, 
and,  coming  to  a  good  cast  under  some  trees,  he  rose  and 
hooked  a  handsome  two-pounder.  The  fish  gave  one  flounder 
on  the  top,  and  he  was  away.  We  looked  for  the  cause,  and, 
lo  !  the  hook  was  the  counterpart  of  the  one  I  had  seen  hanging 
on  the  nail ;  the  barb  and  point  were  gone  at  the  bend. 

"  Snooks  !  "  again  quoth  I,  emphatically. 

"  Oh  !  be  hanged  with  your  '  Snooks  '  ;  as  if  nobody  else's 
hooks  ever  broke.    I  held  him  too  hard." 

"  Too  hard  for  Snooks,"  said  I. 

Sulkily  enough  he  mounted  another  of  the  infalhbles,  as  we 
walked  up  towards  the  mill-tail,  where  all  was  fair  open  fishing  ; 
no  boughs,  no  stones,  no  roots,  nothing  but  water  and  gravel. 
Here  he  rose  and  hooked  a  fish  of  about  a  pound  and  a  half, 


344  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  fish  played  smartly  for  a  minute.  My  friend  looked 
round  at  me  triumphantly.  "  What  do  you  think  of  Snooks 
now  ?  "  The  words  had  scarcely  passed,  when  the  fish  made  a 
slight  but  sudden  plunge,  and  off  he  went,  leaving  the  fly  in 
almost  precisely  the  same  condition  as  the  other  two. 

"  Snooks  !  "  roared  I,  for  I  began  to  get  vexed. 

"  Confound  it !  "  said  my  friend,  "  I  really  think  there  must 
be  something  in  it." 

"  Hem  !  "  I  said  ;  "  never  mind  ;  mount  another.  Use  up 
the  whole  dozen  while  you  are  about  it." 

"  Yes,  and  then  send  the  flies  without  points  back  as  a 
present  to  Snooks  I  suppose,  and  ask  him  what  he  thinks 
of  it."  . 

*'  Oh,  he'd  ask  you  in  return  what  you  could  expect  for 
eighteen  pence,"  I  said. 

I  need  not  say  that  Snooks  lost  a  customer.  The  above  is  a 
simple  fact,  and  my  friend  would  verify  it. 

On  another  occasion  I  was  fishing  on  the  Test.  I  had  not 
had  very  good  sport,  but  the  fish  began  to  rise  well  at  the 
yellow  dun,  and  I  mounted  a  fly  from  a  fresh  dozen  I  had 
bought  a  few  days  before.  I  caught  two  fish  immediately, 
pla5^ng  them  but  lightly.  I  hooked  and  lost  another  ;  and  the 
fish  were  rising  so  well  and  boldly  all  over  the  water,  that  I  got 
excited  with  the  sudden  advent  of  the  sport,  and  forgot  to  look 
at  the  fly  as  I  usually  do  after  losing  a  fish.  I  made  four  throws 
and  hooked  or  scratched  and  lost  four  good  fish  in  succession. 
Then  it  flashed  across  me  that  something  was  wrong  with  the 
hook,  and  on  looking  at  it,  I  found  the  hook  so  far  opened  that 
the  odds  against  hooking  a  fish  with  it  were  very  considerable. 
I  speedily  changed  flies,  taking  one  from  a  more  trustworthy 
lot,  and  I  took  three  or  four  other  fish  without  an  accident  of 
any  kind,  when  the  fish  left  off  rising. 

The  only  means  of  guarding  against  such  a  loss  is  for  the 
angler  always  carefully  to  inspect  his  fly  after  losing  a  fish.    But 
he  should  always,  when  at  leisure,  try  his  hooks,  as  above 
recommended,  and  throw  into  the  fire  all  such  as  are  untrust- 
worthy.   Never  keep  them,  but  destroy  them  utterly,  or  they 
are  sure  to  turn  up  when  they  shouldn't,  and  do  mischief  in    : 
some  way.    Added  to  this,  let  anglers  have  their  tackle  made    J 
of  the  very  dearest  hooks  they-  can  buy  in  the  market,  and  give    \ 
particular  directions  as  to  the  sort  and  shape  of  their  hooks,  for     ' 
tackle  makers  are  mostly  very  careless  on  this  point,  and  as 
they  are  the  onlyjpersons  who  can  profit  by  cheap  hooks,  they 


^ 


C 


c 


e 


SALMON  HOOKS  345 

are  more  prone  to  use  them  than  they  ought  to  be.  The  saving 
on  the  purchase  of  cheap  hooks  to  the  angler  will  not  amount 
to  half  a  crown  a  year,  while  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  confi- 
dence in  your  hook  is  worth  any  money. 

Hooks  are  of  various  forms,  applicable  to  various  kinds  of 
fishing.  We  have  the  Limerick  bend,  the  Carlisle  or  round 
bend,  the  sneck  bend,  and  the  Kirby  bend,  and  there  are  also 
various  modifications  and  variations  of  these  bends. 

The  hook  scale  in  Plate  XXHI  shows  the  best  form  of 
Limerick  bend  in  use  ;  while  in  Plate  XXI,  page  326,  I 
have  given,  as  will  be  seen,  the  Carlisle,  or  round,  and  the 
sneck  bends.  Scales  of  all  these  have  been  given  for  the  con- 
venience of  reference,  as — such  is  the  confusion  caused  by  the 
various  methods  of  numbering — there  is  no  other  way  of 
making  myself  understood.  Indeed,  it  often  happens  that 
makers  are  not  true  even  to  their  own  sizes.  I  may  add  here 
that  the  sizes  given  for  trout  flies  refer  to  the  sneck  bend  scale. 

'The  best  hooks,  particularly  for  salmon-fishing,  are  those 
which  will  take  the  largest  hold  and  keep  it.  For  this  purpose 
few  have  been  held  to  be  better  than  Phillips's  (of  Dublin) 
Limerick  patterns.  Not  those  of  the  "  hollow-point,"  as  the 
straight-pointed  hooks  are  called  ;  they  are  in  my  eyes  simply 
detestable.  I  never  had  any  confidence  in  them,  and  believe 
that  the  point  cuts  the  hold  out.  The  hold  in  a  salmon's  mouth 
is  mostly  a  flesh  hold,  not  a  bone  or  gristle  one,  and  a  point  that 
cuts  must  be  avoided.  Now,  in  Plate  XXIII  it  is  evident  that, 
instead  of  cutting,  the  point  of  the  hook  being  ranked  outwards 
slightly,  insinuates  itself  farther  and  farther  outwards,  or  away 
from  the  shank,  thus  increasing  rather  than  decreasing  the 
hold  ;  but  this  ranking  outwards  is  often  carried  to  excess,  and 
the  stroke  consequently,  instead  of  falling  full  and  direct  upon 
the  point  of  the  hook  falls  on  the  inside  of  the  point,  and  often 
causes  the  strike  or  tug  to  become  "a  scratch  "  instead  of  "  a 
hold."  Plate  XXII,  Fig.  i,  page  331,  shows  a  hook  which  I 
have  a  high  opinion  of.  It  was  first  introduced  to  me  by 
Dr.  Sheil,  years  ago,  and  he  gave  me  a  pattern.  Lately,  when 
writing  to  him  about  the  hook,  he  sent  me  another  pattern 
precisely  similar,  but  recommended  that  the  shank  should  be 
lengthened  sHghtly,  and  I  wrote  to  Messrs.  Allcock,  of  Redditch, 
who  were  the  makers  of  the  pattern,  to  send  me  some  of  the 
improved  pattern.  The  only  objection  to  the  hook  which  the 
Doctor  mentions  is,  that  in  deadish  water  it  hangs  rather  up 
and  down  too  much,  though  in  a  swift  stream  it  swims  on  an 


346  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

even  keel.  One  of  the  best  hooks  I  have  seen  is  the  American 
Kinsey  hook,  made  by  Messrs.  Hutchinson,  of  Kendal,  who 
make  the  finest  classes  of  hooks ;  it  has  somewhat  of  a 
resemblance  to  the  Limerick  bend,  but  is  shorter  from  the  bend 
to  the  barb,  and  having  a  larger  gape  takes  a  larger  hold,  and 
does  not  wear  it  out  so  soon  ;  it  is  a  capital  hook.  Another 
admirable  hook  is  one  called  the  Sproat  bend,  being  the 
invention  of  Mr.  Sproat,  of  Ambleside.  This  excellent  hook 
was  brought  out  lately  by  Messrs.  Hutchinson  ;  a  drawing  of 
it  may  be  seen  in  Plate  XXH,  Fig.  lo,  page  331.  It  has  many 
of  the  advantages  of  the  Kinsey  hook.  Whether  hooks  should 
be  heavily  or  Ughtly  ironed  will  always  depend  on  circum- 
stances not  worth  considering  here. 

Passing  from  salmon,  we  come  to  trout  hooks  ;  and  for 
large  flies  up  to  sea  trout  size  there  is  nothing  like  a  good 
bold  Limerick,  unless  it  be  the  Kinsey  pattern  before  noticed, 
which  would  be  the  perfection  of  a  sea  or  lake  trout  hook. 
In  lake  or  still  water  fishing  the  fly  should  swim  upon  an  even 
keel,  and  therefore  no  sneck  bend  or  twisted  point  should  be 
employed,  or  the  balance  cannot  be  fairly  maintained.  In 
swift  or  troubled  water  this  is  not  of  so  much  consequence.  In 
small  trout  flies  the  point  must  be  twisted  slightly,  or  the  hook 
will  often  fail  to  take  hold  at  all,  for  the  body  and  the  hackle 
will  often  stand  out  sufficiently  to  help  to  guard  the  point  to 
some  extent,  and  if  the  hook  chance  to  be  taken  flat  or  side- 
ways in  the  mouth  of  a  good  fish,  it  may  be  pulled  from  his 
mouth  without  the  point  coming  in  contact  with  the  flesh  at 
all.  To  prove  this,  let  the  reader  lay  such  a  fly  flatly  between 
two  pieces  of  softish  card  and  draw  it  out :  it  will  come  out 
without  a  scratch.  Not  so  if  it  be  slightly  twisted,  as  in  the 
sneck  bend.  For  these  reasons  I  prefer  for  all  small  flies  a 
sneck  bend.  The  point  should  be  as  fine  and  sharp  as  possible, 
but  not  too  long  ;  the  bark  should  be  light,  fine,  and  also  short, 
so  that  it  may  be  driven  home  with  the  slightest  tug  ;  it 
should,  too,  lay  as  close  to  the  hook  as  possible.  A  rank  barb, 
such  as  we  see  in  the  Limerick,  is  unnecessary  and  even 
objectionable,  requiring  hard  striking  and  hard  holding  to  get 
it  home,  neither  of  which  are  commendable  or  workmanlike  in 
trout  fishing.  The  hook  requires  to  be  of  the  very  best 
temper,  and  the  wire  moderately  stout,  but  not  too  stout  ; 
neither  should  it  be  too  fine,  or  it  will  not  stand.  The  length  of 
the  shank  must  be  dictated  by  the  fly  to  be  used  to  some 
extent,  but  as  a  rule  the  longer  the  shank  that  can  be  afforded 


TROUT  HOOKS  347 

the  better,  and  the  farther  off  the  fly  is  dressed  from  the  bend 
of  the  hook  (in  reason)  the  better  too,  as  the  point  has  then  a 
fairer  play.  In  the  south  of  Scotland  and  north  of  England 
they  are  very  fond  of  the  round  bend,  and  it  answers  very  well 
for  the  flies  it  is  used  for.  These  are  usually  dressed  sparely, 
and  have  scarcely  any  body  compared  with  the  southern 
patterns,  the  lapping  of  the  silk  often  forming  all  the  body. 
The  wing  and  hackle  are  exceedingly  sHght,  and  afford  no 
guard  or  let  whatever  to  the  point  of  the  hook.  The  fly  is 
dressed  high  up  the  shank,  so  that  the  bend  comes  out  far 
behind  the  fly.  Thus  dressed,  they  answer  the  purpose  they 
are  designed  for. 

I  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  hooks  for  spinning  tackle. 
The  large  single  hooks  much  in  vogue  for  spinning*minnows 
for  trout  should  all  be  of  the  round  bend.  There  is  no  better 
hook  for  this  purpose,  as  it  communicates  the  proper  twist  to 
the  tail,  and  is  the  correct  pattern  and  size  in  respect  both  to 
the  point  and  barb.  If  triangles  be  used,  the  brazed  ones  do 
well  enough,  but  care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  the  points  be 
not  too  long  nor  the  barbs  too  rank  ;  though  a  trifle  more  may 
be  yielded  in  the  latter  point  than  is  advisable  in  fly  hooks,  as 
a  harder  stroke  can  be  afforded,  but  it  is  the  fashion  often  to 
make  these  hooks  so  very  rank  in  the  barb  that  considerable 
difficulty  is  found  in  forcing  the  barb  home.^f  And  it  should 
be  always  borne  in  mind  that,  as  two  or  even  the  whole  three 
hooks  may  take  hold  of  the  flesh,  it  requires  very  much  more 
force  to  drive  two  or  three  hooks  home  than  one,  and  if  more 
than  one  triangle  be  used,  of  course'this  difficulty  is  increased 
proportionally.  As  a  hard  stroke  is  often  requisite,  it  will  be 
seen,  too,  that  a  stouter  wire  should  be  employed  in  the  hook 
than  is  used  for  fly  hooks,  lest  the  hook  break,  which  brazed 
hooks  are  more  or  less  apt  to  do.  I  think  that  the  heat  they 
are  submitted  to  in  brazing  rather  over-tempers  them,  or  in 
some  way  affects  the  temper,  and  that  too  very  irregularly, 
for  while  some  hooks  seem  to  stand  well  enough,  others  do 
not  appear  to  do  so,  more  particularly  if  they  have  been  used 
at  all  and  then  laid  by  for  a  time.  Of  all  tackle  oldish  spinning- 
tackle  made  of  brazed  hooks  is  the  most  untrustworthy,  and 
many  a  time  have  I  rued  the  loss  of  fine  fish  solely  because  I 
have  put  up  a  flight  of  last  year's  tackle  without  testing  the 
hooks  first.  I  have  seen  one,  two,  and  even  three  hooks 
stripped,  that  is,  the  points  and  barbs  broken  off  from  one 
flight  by  a  stroke  which  ought  not  to  have  broken  a  single  hook. 


34B  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

The  upshot  of  this  is,  that  old  spinning-tackle,  particularly  of 
brazed  hooks,  should  be  always  tested  before  it  is  used. 

Hooks  for  spinning-tackle  should  not  have  the  points  too 
much  elongated,  as  this  part  of  the  hook  is  the  most  liable  to 
break,  and  should  not  be  too  long  or  slender  ;  neither  should 
the  barb  be  too  long  or  too  fine  either,  as  both  point  and  barb 
often  come  into  contact  with  bony  and  rough  work,  and  should 
be  constructed  accordingly. 

Hooks  for  pike-spinning  in  particular  should  always  be  of 
stouter  wire  than  others,  as  the  mouth  of  the  pike  is  so  bony 
as  to  require  an  extra  hard  stroke ;  and  it  is  particularly 
essential  that  they  should  be  not  too  long  or  fine  either  in  point 
or  barb,  and  the  barb  should  not  be  ranked  nearly  so  much  as 
nine- tenths  of  them  are.  I  have  seen  triangles  with  the  barbs 
ranked  more  than  in  an  ordinary  Limerick  hook,  and  when 
this  is  the  case,  if  two  or  three  hooks  take  hold,  hardly  any 
reasonable  tackle  will  stand  the  stroke  that  is  required  to 
detach  the  hooks  from  the  bait,  and  to  force  the  barbs  home 
into  the  pike's  jaw.  I  know  the  extreme  difficulty  and  force 
required  to  ram  such  a  barb  through,  by  having  once  buried 
one  in  the  ball  of  my  thumb,  and  the  resistance  caused  by  the 
badly  ranked  barb,  in  my  eftorts  to  bring  it  through  and  turn 
the  hook  out  at  the  shank,  was  something  incredible.  It  is 
owing  to  this  fact  that  eight  pike  get  off  out  of  every  ten  which 
are  lost  when  hooked  in  spinning.  Two  or  three  rank  barbed 
hooks  take  hold,  and  the  barbs  are  not  driven  home.  You 
may  never  get  a  sufficient  strain  on  the  fish  to  drag  them  home 
(no  easy  matter  either),  and  the  first  moment  a  loose  line  or  a 
turn  occurs,  away  come  the  hooks.  To  my  fancy,  pike  hooks 
in  spinning  require  almost  more  care  and  consideration  in 
construction  than  any  others,  and  probably  they  receive  less. 
With  regard  to  the  shape  of  the  hooks  best  adapted  for 
spinning-tackle,  Mr.  Pennell  makes  a  statement  which,  if  it  be 
borne  out  by  long  experience,  is  so  striking  that  it  settles  the 
question  beyond  all  argument.  He  says  that  the  sneck  bend 
hook  possesses  lOO  per  cent  more  killing  power  than  the 
Limerick  bend,  and  50  per  cent  more  than  either  the  Carlisle  or 
Kirby  bend  ;  and  further,  that  whereas  it  requires  an  average 
pressure  of  three  pounds  to  force  home  a  Limerick  hook,  it 
takes  two  pounds  and  a  half  to  the  Carlisle,  two  pounds  and 
one-third  to  the  Kirby,  but  only  one  pound  and  a  half  to  the 
sneck  bend.  Having  quoted  these  facts  from  Mr.  Pennell,  I 
leave  them  to  the  angler's  consideration. 


SMALL  HOOKS  349 

All  worm  hooks,  from  the  largest  to  the  smallest,  should  be 
of  the  CarHsle  or  round  bend.  No  other  hook  admits  of 
putting  on  a  worm  so  well,  neatly,  or  quickly. 

I  now  come  to  roach  hooks,  and  probably  more  thought 
and  care  have  been  bestowed  on  them  than  upon  all  the 
others  put  together  ;  and  yet  many  of  the  patterns  are  not 
only  bad  but  execrable.  As  a  rule,  the  shanks  are  almost 
always  too  short  to  strike  properly.  Take  an  ordinary  short- 
shanked  roach  hook,  just  fix  the  point  in  a  stout  piece  of  paper, 
pull  the  gut  gently,  and  see  what  ensues,  and  the  position  the 
hook  takes.  The  shank  of  the  hook  and  the  gut  will  form  a 
small  obtuse  angle  ;  in  some  cases,  almost  a  right  angle.  The 
whole  strain  falls  on  the  inside  of  the  point  instead  of  directly 
on  the  point ;  you  may  pull,  but  the  effect  is  not  to  force  the 
point  in,  but  to  tear  the  hook  open.  Consequently,  with  such 
a  hook,  when  the  short  sharp  stroke  pecuUar  to  roach  fishing 
is  given,  the  hook  springs  instead  of  burying  the  point  and 
barb,  unless  the  wire  of  the  hook  be  so  coarse  and  unyielding 
as  to  refuse  to  spring,  when  a  much  harder  stroke  than  would 
be  necessary  if  the  hook  were  of  the  proper  shape  may  perhaps 
effect  the  object.  But  it  has  been  the  practice  of  roach  fishers 
to  discard  hooks  of  coarse  wire  and  to  insist  upon  having  a 
hook  with  a  very  fine  wire,  in  order  that  the  gentle  or  maggot 
which  so  many  use  for  a  bait  may  be  threaded  on  the  hook  with 
the  least  possible  damage,  and  the  consequence  of  this  has  been 
that  anglers  have  considered  the  bait  too  much  for  the  hook, 
and  consequently  they  have  been  using  the  very  worst  possible 
hook  they  could  adopt  for  their  purpose — very  short  in  the 
shank,  round  and  broad  in  the  bend,  with  (if  anything)  an  out- 
turned  point  instead  of  an  in-turned  one,  and  fine  in  the  wire 
so  as  to  spring  rather  than  penetrate,  consequently  the  point 
only  gets  fixed,  the  fish  gives  a  turn  over,  or  comes  half-way 
home,  and  gets  off ;  and  when  this  occurs  often,  it  spoils  sport, 
as  it  by  no  means  improves  a  roach  swim  to  have  a  dozen  or  so 
of  well-pricked  fish  in  it.  I  have  seen  hook  after  hook  of  the 
above  description  positively  give  and  open  and  become 
utterly  useless  in  a  dozen  swims,  and  so,  no  doubt,  have  many 
of  my  readers.  If  roach  fishers  must  have  hooks  of  this  shape, 
the  wire  must  of  necessity  be  coarse  to  give  any  chance  of 
hooking  at  all  a  fair  proportion  of  fish.  I,  however,  greatly 
prefer  a  hook  with  a  turned-in  point  and  a  shank  of  sufficient 
length.  I  got  Mr.  Wright,  the  tackle  maker  in  the  Strand,  to 
have  some  made  of  this  shape  some  time  since,  and  they 


b 


350  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

answer  very  well  indeed.  I  lay  some  stress  on  the  shank,  as  the 
reader  can  try  the  following  experiment,  suggested  some  time 
since  in  the  Field.  Take  a  long-shanked  hook  and  tie  three 
pieces  of  gut  to  it,  at  three  different  points  along  the  shank, 
fix  the  point,  and  then  pull  each  gut  alternately,  and  it  will  be 
at  once  perceived  how  much  more  advantage  there  is  in  a 
tolerably  lengthy  shank  than  a  short  one.  Of  course  it  would 
not  do  to  have  it  too  long.  If  roach  are  shy  and  are  biting  so 
badly  as  that  they  only  nibble  and  do  not  take  the  hook  into 
their  mouths  at  all,  it  matters  very  little  what  shape  the  hook 
is.  The  barb  should  not  be  too  rank,  as  it  is  not  only  quite 
unnecessary  but  requires  a  harder  stroke  than  should  be  given, 
and  is  liable  to  be  broken  in  the  frequent  unhooking  and 
occasional  contact  with  bones,  etc.  All  this  is  of  the  more 
consequence  in  roach-fishing  because  so  many  anglers  fish 
with  a  single  hair,  when  the  object  is  to  fix  the  hook  with  the 
lightest  possible  stroke,  and  this  with  the  present  shaped  hooks 
is  very  difficult.  The  best  shaped  hook  of  this  kind  I  ever  saw 
was  a  French  hook,  manufactured  in  the  Pyrenees  ;  and  much 
as  we  look  down  on  French  tackle,  our  hook  makers  might  take 
a  lesson  from  that  hook.  Some  roach-fishers  use  sneck  bent 
hooks,  and  if  Mr.  Pennell's  opinion  of  sneck  bends  should 
prevail,  they  ought  to  be  the  best  shaped  hook  for  the  purpose. 
I,  however,  have  used  them  in  roach-fishing  many  times  (that 
is,  my  fishing  companion  used  them  and  I  used  some  other 
form),  but  I  never  discovered  that  it  actually  hooked  any 
appreciable  percentage  of  fish  more  than  the  ordinary  hook 
in  use. 

The  scales  of  small  hooks  which  I  have  given  were  lent  to  me 
by  Mr.  Farlow,  and  were  made  by  Messrs.  Bartleet  and  Sons,  of 
Redditch. 


BAIT  TABLE 

The  Red  Worm. — This  is  a  very  general  favourite  with 
fishermen.  In  the  Nottingham  district  it  is  called  the  cock- 
spur.  It  will  kill  almost  any  fresh-water  fish,  but  is  used 
chiefly  for  roach,  gudgeon,  dace,  tench,  and  carp.  It  is  found 
in  heaps  of  dead  and  decaying  leaves,  or  vegetable  matter,  in 
rotten  dung  or  dead  wood.  The  best  way  to  procure  and  keep 
a  stock  of  them  is  to  put  a  httle  manure,  mould,  a  few  cabbage 
stumps  or  mowed  grass  and  dead  leaves,  with  a  bit  of  rotten 
matting  or  old  carpet,  and  water  it  well  now  and  then.    This 


BAITS  351 

will  breed  and  keep  them.  To  scour  them,  put  them  in  a  pan 
with  a  bit  of  refuse  damp  netting  or  old  cheese-cloth. 

The  Brandling  or  Gilt-tail  is  a  beautiful  little  worm  to  look 
at,  being  clad  in  alternate  rings  of  yellow  and  red.  It  is  a  more 
lively  worm  than  the  last,  and  is  used  for  most  of  the  fish 
named  above,  in  common  with  the  red  worm.  It  also  comes 
in  for  fine  worm-fishing  in  the  Scotch  and  Border  streams,  for 
which  the  red  worm  would  be  a  size  or  two  too  small.  It  is 
found  in  old  dung  heaps,  or  rotten  tan  chiefly,  but  a  good  many 
may  be  found  in  rank  vegetable  matter  in  a  state  of  moist 
decay.  It  is  a  nasty  worm  to  handle,  exuding  a  filthy  yellow 
secretion  of  a  most  disagreeable  smell.  A  little  moss,  in 
addition  to  the  means  recommended  for  the  red  worm,  will  be 
useful  in  scouring  it. 

The  Red  Head  is  a  very  bright  gleaming  worm,  a  sort  of  link 
between  the  red  worm  and  the  lob.  It  is  the  most  active  of 
any,  and  is  found  in  rich  mould,  and  notably  under  the  old 
dead  droppings  of  cows.  Used  mostly  in  fronting,  or  for  perch, 
tench,  etc.,  being  too  large  for  the  smaller  fish,  and  not  large 
enough  for  barbel,  etc.  It  is  rather  a  tender  worm,  and  easily 
damaged.    Scour  with  moss. 

The  Lob  or  Dew  Worm  is  the  largest  and  perhaps  the 
commonest  worm  we  have.  It  is  found  in  all  gardens  and  fields, 
and  many  other  places  likewise,  save  where  the  ground  is 
dressed  with  lime,  salt,  cinders,  or  such  matters  as  are  inimical 

I  to  worms.  In  grass  plots  not  very  well  kept ;  village  greens, 
■jBind  many  places  where  the  grass  is  kept  pretty  short ;  the 
sides  of  garden  walks,  and  such  like  spots,  they  will  be  found 
very  plentiful  after  a  good  fall  or  two  of  rain,  as  soon  as  the 
evening  comes  on.  Go  out  then  with  a  lantern,  and,  treading 
gently,  you  may  gather  two  or  three  or  more  quarts  of  them  ; 
but  the  worm-catcher  requires  to  be  pretty  active  in  grabbing 
them,  and  resolute  in  hanging  on,  as  they  dart  into  their  holes, 
when  alarmed,  with  great  rapidity,  and  hang  on  when  half  in 
and  half  out  with  singular  tenacity,  often  submitting  rather 
to  be  pulled  in  halves  than  to  let  go.  They  should  be  scoured 
in  a  plentiful  supply  of  moss,  and  looked  over  every  day,  the 
dead  and  sickly  picked  out  and  thrown  away,  or  they  poison 
the  rest.  In  order  to  keep  a  good  stock  of  them,  fill  an  old 
chest  or  packing-case  with  clay,  and  turn  some  thousands  of 
worms  into  it.  This  will  keep  them  in  good  order  till  they  are 
wanted,  when  they  can  be  taken  out  and  scoured.  For  the 
ook,  those  which  are  reddest,  with  a  red  streak  down  the  back 


I 


352  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  a  clean  bright  tail,  are  the  best.  The  others  do  for  ground 
bait.    Used  for  trout,  salmon,  barbel,  bream,  and  chub. 

The  Dock  or  Flag  Worm. — ^This  is  a  pretty  little  worm,  found 
in  the  roots  of  flags,  but  as  the  red  worm  answers  exactly  the 
same  purpose,  is  very  similar  to  it,  and  is  not  a  tithe  of  the 
trouble  to  obtain,  I  need  not  enter  upon  any  special  directions 
in  reference  to  it. 

The  Blood  Worm. — ^This  little  worm  is  rather  a  larva  than  a 
worm,*  and  is  found  at  the  bottom  of  stagnant  pools  in  vast 
qauntities,  so  much  so  as  at  times  quite  to  colour  the  bottom. 
It  is  said  to  be  an  infallible  bait  for  roach.  I  have  never  tried 
it,  as  it  seems  to  me,  from  its  extremely  small  size  and  slender 
proportions,  next  to  impossible  to  get  it  on  a  hook  at  all ; 
however,  as  report  notes  it  as  a  good  bait  for  roach,  I  quote  the 
report  for  what  it  is  worth. 

The  Meal  Worm. — ^This  is  not  a  worm  either,  being  a  grub  or 
larva  ;  indeed,  it  is  the  larva  of  a  beetle,  the  scientific  name  of 
which  is  Tenehrio  molitor.  It  is  very  abundant  in  mills  and 
such  places  as  large  stores  of  flour  and  meal  are  kept  in.  It  is  a 
capital  bait  for  trout,  and  no  doubt  for  many  other  fish.  There 
is  no  bait  equal  to  it  for  a  nightingale,  so  the  bird-fanciers  say, 
but  this  is  a  branch  of  angling  I  have  not  much  knowledge  of. 
They  keep  easily  in  a  little  flour,  and  need  no  scouring. 

Gentles  or  Maggots. — ^These  are  bred  from  almost  any  putre- 
fying animal  matter.  They  are  the  larvae  of  various  flies.  The 
best  are  those  which  are  bred  in  bullock's  liver  ;  and  the  plan  is 
to  take  a  piece  of  liver,  slash  it  about  with  a  knife,  and  hang  it 
up  in  the  sun.  The  large  blow-flies  collect  upon  it  and  lay  their 
eggs  in  the  crevices.  When  it  appears  sufficiently  blown,  it 
should  be  taken  down  and  put  into  a  tub  or  pan,  and  kept  out 
of  the  way  of  cats  or  birds.  In  a  few  days  the  eggs  hatch  into 
maggots.  A  few  handfuls  of  bran  are  then  added  to  the  liver  to 
keep  it  cool.  In  a  few  more  days  the  maggots  will  have  fed 
themselves  up  to  their  full  size.  They  then  require  to  be 
removed  into  another  pan  or  tub  half-full  of  bran,  and  only  a 
few  scraps  of  the  liver  left  with  them  to  feed  on.  As  soon  as 
they  lose  the  dark  spot,  which  before  they  are  scoured  appears 
in  the  middle  of  them,  and  assume  a  bright  yellowish  colour, 
they  are  scoured  and  fit  for  the  hook.  They  should  always  be 
kept  in  the  coolest  possible  place,  with  plenty  of  air  and 
ventilation,  or  they  will  soon  turn  to  chrysalids.  These  in  turn 
hatch  into  flies,  and  the  reader  should  be  careful  to  empty  his 

*  The  name  applies  to  the  larvae  of  several  species  of  Chironomus. 


BAITS  353 

gentle-box  when  he  has  done  with  it,  or  he  may  when  opening 
it  on  his  next  fishing-day  be  assailed  by  a  cloud  of  huge  blow- 
flies. The  chrysalis  is  a  favourite  bait  at  times  with  the  roach, 
but  it  is  rather  tender  on  the  hook.  Carrion  and  other  gentles 
are  mostly  used  for  ground-bait,  and  require  no  scouring. 
They  are  obtained  from  knackers'  yards,  butchers,  or  tallow 
melters,  etc.  etc.  Some  of  the  larger  kinds  may  at  times  be 
used  for  hook  bait,  but  they  are  all  inferior  to  the  liver  gentles. 
Gentles  may,  by  being  buried  in  an  earthenware  vessel,  be  kept 
far  into  the  winter.  Be  careful  to  keep  the  gentles  in  a  dry 
vessel,  as,  if  the  sides  be  wet,  they  can  and  will  creep  away  ; 
also,  be  sure  that  your  tub,  if  you  use  one,  be  sound,  as  no 
crevice  is  too  small  for  them  to  force  their  way  through. 

Almost  all  fresh-water  fish  take  maggots  freely  ;  notably 
roach,  dace,  barbel,  bream,  gudgeon,  etc.  ;  they  are  much 
affected  too  by  trout  and  grayling. 

Greaves  or  Scratchings  is  the  refuse  skin,  etc.  from  the 
tallow  melters  ;  it  is  made  into  hard  cakes,  and  must  be 
partially  broken  up  and  scalded  before  use.  It  is  a  capital  bait 
for  chub,  roach,  and  dace,  the  whitest  and  toughest  pieces  being 
used  for  the  hook. 

Wasp  Grub. — This  is  a  very  killing  bait  for  trout,  grayling, 
and  dace,  and  indeed  for  almost  any  fish,  but  it  is  too  tender 
for  the  hook  without  some  preparation.  Supposing  the  angler 
to  have  obtained  a  nest,  let  him  break  off  all  the  grubs  which 
are  imcovered,  and  with  the  embryo  wasps  put  them  aside  for 
ground  bait.  The  comb  is  then  to  be  put  into  a  jar,  and  that 
into  hot  water,  and  steamed  until  the  grubs  are  tough  enough, 
taking  care  that  no  water  gets  to  the  comb.  Some  prefer  to 
bake  them  instead.    Either  plan  answers  well  enough. 

1^  Cockchafer  and  Beetle  Grubs. — ^These  large  grubs  are  fre- 
^fquently  found  when  turning  up  the  garden  soil,  turf,  cow 
droppings,  or  under  old  half-dried  dung  heaps.  They  should 
be  served  as  the  wasp  grub  to  toughen  them.  It  is  difficult, 
however,  to  get  enough  of  them  to  make  a  point  of  fishing  with 

1^  them.    They  are  first-rate  bait  for  chub. 

IV  Caddis  or  Cadbait. — This  fit  tie  insect,  which  is  the  larva  of 
various  water-flies,  is  found  at  the  bottom  of  streams.  Its 
body  being  soft  and  easily  damaged,  nature  has  prompted  it  to 
make  a  defence  in  the  shape  of  a  case  which  it  provides  for 
itself.  This  case  is  smooth  in  the  inside,  and  is  composed  on 
the  outside  of  minute  sticks,  or  bits  of  gravel  and  other  matters 
and  upon  any  alarm  it  retires  within  it.    It  is  about  the  size  of, 


I 


354  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

and  rather  resembles  in  appearance,  a  gentle  ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, much  more  tender,  and  requires  dehcate  handling 
in  baiting.  Trout,  roach,  dace,  etc.,  are  very  fond  indeed 
of  it. 

Palmers. — These,  which  are  the  grubs  or  caterpillars  of 
various  moths,  particularly  the  fox  and  the  tiger  moths,  are 
seldom  used  in  their  natural  state,  the  imitations  being  so  good 
as  to  render  it  quite  unnecessary,  whilst  the  flesh  is  so  soft  that 
it  would  scarcely  be  possible  to  pierce  them  without  destroying 
them.  The  imitations,  however,  are  excellent  for  trout  and 
chub.  They  should  chiefly  be  used  under  overhanging  trees 
and  bushes,  which  abound  in  some  streams,  but  mostly  in  still 
waters. 

Leeches  form  an  excellent  bait  for  trout,  and  may  be  used 
with  advantage  at  times  ;  as  may  also  the 

Cockroach,  which  is  found  in  abundance  in  all  old  houses. 
The  trout  are  so  fond  of  a  cockroach  that  they  will  hardly 
ever  refuse  one.  The  hook  should  be  run  through  from  the 
gullet  to  the  tail. 

Grasshopper,  baited  in  a  similar  way,  makes  an  excellent 
bait  for  chub  and  grayhng,  and  trout  will  also  take  them.  If 
small,  use  two  hooks,  insert  the  second,  and  put  on  in  the 
reverse  position.  N.B.  The  hoppers  or  long  legs  must  be 
removed. 

The  Cricket  is  also  a  good  bait,  but  should  be  used  Hke  the 
cockroach  and  meal  worm,  chiefly  in  mill-tails. 

The  Cockchafer  and  Humhlehee  are  admirable  baits  for  chub, 
and  may  be  used  either  by  draping  at  the  top  of  the  water,  or 
in  mid-water.  A  good  cut  of  an  artificial  bumblebee  may  be 
seen  in  Plate  X,  Fig.  4,  page  219. 

The  Crab  or  Creeper. — ^This  is  the  larva  of  the  stone  fly, 
and  is  found  in  abundance  under  the  stones  and  pebbles  by  the 
beds  and  brinks  of  many  rivers.  It  is  a  most  kilhng  bait  for 
trout,  more  particularly  when  the  water  is  low  and  clear.  It  is 
customary  to  use  two  of  them.  In  appearance  it  rather 
resembles  the  common  cricket.  It  is  very  active  in  its  haunts, 
and  easily  gets  out  of  sight.  A  sufficient  number  should  be 
collected  on  the  morning  of  fishing,  as  they  do  not  keep  well. 
Keep  them  moist  in  a  tin  box. 

Beetles. — ^There  are  many  bettles  which  trout,  chub,  and 
other  fish  will  take.  Indeed,  the  question,  perhaps,  rather 
would  be  to  decide  what  they  would  not  take.  The  best,  how- 
ever, have  already  been  noticed  under  the  head  of  beetle- 


BAITS  355 

isliing.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  keeping  them  for  some  days. 
If  small,  two  can  be  employed. 

Slugs  and  Snails. — These  are  excellent  baits  for  various 
kinds  of  fish.  Trout  are  very  fond  of  a  good  fat  snail  or  a  white 
slug,  and  chub  have  a  decided  penchant  for  a  large  black  slug. 
If  the  belly  be  sUt  open  so  as  to  show  the  white,  it  will  be  almost 
infallible. 

Small  Frogs  are  an  excellent  bait  for  both  trout  and  chub. 
In  baiting  with  them,  be  careful  only  to  take  up  a  little  of  the 
back  skin  on  the  hook,  so  as  not  to  impede  their  motions,  and 
they  will  be  found  the  more  attractive. 

Large  Frogs  are  a  capital  bait  for  pike  when  fish  cannot  be 
procured.  In  baiting,  Izaak  Walton's  directions  are  good  to 
an  extent,  viz.  put  the  hook  in  at  the  mouth  and  out  at  the 
gills,  and  then  tie  one  of  the  hind  legs  above  the  upper  joint  to 
the  wire  of  the  hook.  I  think,  however,  a  better  plan  is  not  to 
interfere  with  the  gills  at  aU,  but  pass  the  hook  through  the 
under  lip  and  so  through  to  the  leg. 

Rats,  Mice,  and  Small  Birds  are  also  good  bait  for  pike.  The 
two  first  make  a  good  bait  stuffed  with  sufficient  lead  within  to 
make  them  swim  properly,  and  one  good  hook  sticking  out  of 
the  after  part  of  the  belly.  Failing  in  procuring  the  skins,  a 
tolerable  imitation  of  water-rat  can  be  made  from  a  bit  of  the 
skin  of  a  cow's  tail.  But  these  baits  need  never  be  resorted  to 
when  live  or  dead  fish  can  be  obtained.    The  best 

Fish  Baits  are  :  for  pike,  the  roach,  dace,  bleak,  and 
gudgeon  ;  for  trout,  a  small  dace,  bleak,  gudgeon,  loach, 
minnow,  and  even  bull  head.  Fish  baits  should  be  kept 
in  a  corfe  with  plenty  of  gratings  in  it.  A  corfe  is  simply 
a  large  box  made  of  stout  elm  or  oak  timber,  and  shaped 
rather  like  the  bow  of  a  boat.  This  bow  has  a  chain  and 
anchor  to  it,  so  as  to  secure  it  in  its  place.  There  are  usually 
gratings  at  the  bows  and  on  the  under  part  as  well  as  at  the 
back  and  on  the  top.  The  latter  two  admit  plenty  of  air. 
The  corfe  should  be  kept  in  a  running  stream,  and  in  sunny 
weather  it  should  be  put  in  a  cool  shady  place.  It  should  now 
and  then  be  cleaned,  and  the  gratings  freed  from  obstructions, 
and  the  fish  should  be  occasionally  fed  with  a  handful  of  bread 
crumbs,  chopped  worms,  or  maggots,  for  fish  cannot  live  for 
ever  upon  nothing,  though  they  will  live  some  time.  If  the 
fish  be  thus  properly  attended  to,  and  the  dead  and  sickly  ones 
picked  out  daily,  they  will  live  and  do  well  in  confinement  for 
a  long  time.    Near  the  mouth  of  a  drain  is  a  favourite  place  for 


356  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

small  fry,  and  a  good  place  for  the  bait-net.  In  cold  weather 
they  take  to  the  deeper  streams,  and  are  diiBcult  to  procure. 
In  floods  they  must  be  sought  m  eddies  and  any  quiet  spot. 
In  the  winter,  minnows  are  difficult  to  find  in  rivers.  At  this 
time  they  are  usually  packed  away  in  thousands  in  some  small 
hole  under  a  root  or  bank  in  some  little  tributary  brook,  or  up 
some  large  pipe  drain.  There  are  various  ways  of  preserving 
baits.  One  is  to  salt  them,  but  this  so  discolours  them  and 
makes  them  so  soft  that  it  is  objectionable.  The  next  is  to 
preserve  a  lot  in  a  wide-necked  bottle  or  jar,  pack  them  pretty 
tight,  and  fill  up  with  spirits  of  wine.  Gin  will  do,  but  spirits  of 
wine  does  much  better.  *  The  other  way  is  to  paint  them  thinly 
over  with  glycerine.  Either  of  the  last  methods  preserves  the 
colour  and  toughens  the  bait. 

Paste  is  made  of  the  crumb  of  new  loaf,  worked  up  with  a 
drop  or  two  of  water  and  very  clean  hands.  It  may  be  made 
plain  or  sweetened  with  honey,  or  flavoured  to  fancy,  or  even 
coloured  with  pigments.  Cover  the  hook  with  it ;  some  work 
up  wool  with  it  to  keep  it  better  on  the  hook.  Roach,  carp,  and 
other  fish  affect  pastes. 

Pearl  Barley,  boiled,  makes  an  excellent  bait  for  roach,  and 
when  the  fish  are  inclined  to  take  paste,  they  will  take  pearl 
barley  ;  care  must  be  taken  not  to  overboil  it,  or  it  becomes 
too  soft  to  stay  long  on  the  hook. 

Boiled  Wheat  or  Barley  must  be  boiled  until  the  outer  skin 
bursts,  which  takes  some  time — often  two  hours.  Wheat  is  a 
good  bait  for  roach,  and  barley  is  used  in  Norfolk  to  ground  bait 
for  bream. 

Cheese  forms  a  good  bait  for  a  change  with  chub  or  barbel. 
Cut  it  up  in  morsels  of  the  size  of  small  gooseberries,  and  use 
pretty  much  like  paste. 

The  provender  of  fishes  is  endless  in  its  items,  and  almost 
anything  edible  may  be  converted  into  a  bait.  For  example, 
fish  will  dine  very  much  like  humans — say  upon  bacon  and 
peas,  and  bread  and  cheese  ;  bacon  being  a  capital  bait  at 
times  for  barbel,  peas  for  carp,  bread  for  roach,  and  cheese  for 
chub,  and  the  art  of  the  angler  consists  in  consulting  their 
tastes  and  tickling  their  palates. 

*  Formalin  has  superseded  all  other  preservatives  for  this  purpose. — 
Ed, 


RECIPES  AND  NOTABILIA  357 

To  Dye  Gut. — First  moisten  it  well,  then  dilute  some  ink 
slightly  with  water,  and  steep  the  gut  in  it ;  if  only  a  light 
colour  be  required,  for  a  short  time  ;  if  darker,  for  a  longer 
period.  This  gives  a  blue.  For  an  amber,  a  very  light  dis- 
coloration many  be  obtained  by  steeping  in  tea  or  coffee  lees, 
and  a  deeper  colour  by  using  the  water  in  which  walnut  shucks 
have  been  steeped.  For  a  green,  boil  a  piece  of  green  baize,  and 
put  the  gut  in  the  liquor  while  it  is  warm. 

To  Dress  Lines. — Take  equal  parts  of  boiled  linseed  oil  and 
copal  varnish,  and  steep  the  line  in  it  till  well  soaked,  and  then 
hang  it  out  to  dry,  clearing  off  all  the  refuse  dressing  with  a 
piece  of  rag.  When  the  line  is  dry,  repeat  the  operation.  Some 
eschew  varnish  as  being  too  brittle,  using  a  spoonful  of  gold 
size  instead.  Gold  size  dries  up  the  dressing  more  or  less 
quickly,  as  the  quantity  used  is  increased  or  diminished. 
Boiled  oil,  with  a  knob  of  resin,  makes  a  useful  and  hard 
dressing,  and  dries  more  quickly,  but  it  is  sticky  when  warm, 
and  is  rather  brittle  likewise.  India-rubber  dressing  will  be 
found  preservative,  which  is  not  always  the  case  with  varnish 
and  oil  dressings,  as  these  often  bum  and  injure  the  line.  Cut 
up  some  white  india-rubber  in  small  chips,  and  dissolve  it  in 
turps  ;  dress  the  line  with  it,  and  when  thoroughly  dry  it  makes 
a  capital  dressing.  All  lines  should  be  thoroughly  dried  and 
hard  before  using,  or  the  dressing  comes  off  speedily. 

Varnish  for  Tackle,  Hook  Dressings,  etc. — Break  up  small 
some  shellac,  put  it  into  a  bottle,  and  dissolve  it  thoroughly  in 
strong  spirits  of  wine  ;  paint  the  dressing  over  with  it,  and 
hang  it  in  some  warm  spot  to  dry,  which  it  does  speedily. 
Before  using,  shake  up  the  varnish  and  see  that  the  dressing  is 
thoroughly  dry.  It  is  also  advisable  not  to  use  the  tackle  until 
the  .dressing  is  properly  dry  and  hard,  or  it  turns  white. 
Sealing  wax  may  be  dissolved  in  the  same  way,  but  it  does  not 
make  nearly  as  durable  a  varnish. 

Varnish  for  Rods. — ^The  best  varnish  for  rods  is  the  "  best 
coachmakers'  varnish."    Two  coats  of  this  are  ample,  but  the 
rst  coat  must  be  quite  dry  before  the  other  is  laid  on. 

Liquid  Wax. — Dissolve  some  cobblers*  wax  in  spirits  of  wine, 
shake  it  up,  and  lay  on  with  a  feather.  This  is  very  useful  with 
frayed  or  weak  silk,  when  tying  a  neat  and  delicate  fly,  as  the 
spirit  evaporates,  but  the  wax  remains  on  the  silk. 

White  Wax. — ^Take  two  ounces  of  the  best  resin  and  one- 
quarter  of  an  ounce  of  beeswax,  simmer  them  together  in  a 


I 


358  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

pipkin  for  ten  minutes  ;  add  one-quarter  of  an  ounce  of  tallow, 
and  simmer  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ;  then  pour  the  mass  out 
into  a  basin  of  water,  and  work  it  up  with  the  fingers  until 
prefectly  pliable.    A  very  useful  and  tenacious  wax. 

Dry  or  Brittle  Cobblers'  Wax. — If  the  wax  be  too  brittle  or 
dry,  add  the  smallest  possible  morsel  of  tallow,  and  work  it  up 
with  the  cobblers'  wax,  and  it  soon  becomes  soft  and  usable. 

India-rubber  Glue — used  to  mend  waterproof  boots  and 
stockings,  by  sticking  a  piece  of  sheet  rubber  over  a  crack — is 
made  in  the  same  way  as  the  india-rubber  dressing  for  lines, 
by  dissolving  india-rubber,  cut  small,  in  turps  or  naphtha. 
For  this  the  black  rubber  is  preferred,  and  the  mixture  is 
stronger  and  thicker  than  for  line- dressing. 

Cement  for  Aquariums,  etc. — Melt  some  resin  in  a  pipkin, 
and  while  simmering  stir  in  by  degrees  about  one-half  the  same 
quantity  of  putty  ;  pour  it  on  hot. 

To  Dress  Water  Boots. — Beeswax,  tallow,  and  black  varnish, 
or  tar,  which  is  preferred  by  some,  should  be  melted  together 
and  rubbed  into  the  boots  before  the  fire,  so  as  to  melt  it  into 
the  cracks  thoroughly. 

To  Keep  Moth  from  Feathers. — Pepper  them  well  with  white 
pepper,  and,  above  all,  keep  them  from  the  damp.  Expose 
valuable  feathers  to  the  air  now  and  then.  Chopped  tobacco 
leaf  is  a  capital  preservative,  and  a  little  strewed  on  the  fly- 
book  is  very  efficacious.  Camphor  is  good  as  long  as  it  lasts, 
but  it  soon  dissolves,  and  is  very  expensive,  too.  Cedar  chips 
are  said  to  be  good.  * 

To  Pack  Trout. — Dry  them  thoroughly,  and  pack  them  in 
dry  straw.  If  for  a  long  journey,  gut  them,  and  dust  the  inside 
with  pepper.  Sting-nettles  are  said  to  preserve  the  colour  for  a 
short  journey  ;   but  never  use  grass,  as  anything  damp  is  not 

desirable,  t 

To  Stain  Gimp. — Bright  brass  gimp  is  very  easily  seen  by  the 
fish.  To  discolour  it  soak  it  in  a  solution  of  bi-chlorate  of 
platinum  mixed  with  water  (i  of  platinum  to  8  or  lo  of  water)  ; 
then  dry  before  the  fire.    (Book  of  the  Pike,  p.  97.) 

Treatment  of  Boots,  Waterproofs,  etc. — Neither  boots  nor 
coats  must  be  put  too  near  the  fire.  They  may  be  safely,  and 
with  advantage,  placed  at  a  reasonable  distance  from  it ;  but 
the  best  of  servants  are  careless  about  this,  and  boots  worth 

*  Naphthalene  is  perhaps  best  of  all. — Ed. 

t  As  the  primary  object  of  packing  material  is  to  exclude  the  air,  nothing 
answers  so  well  as  clean  white  paper, — Ed, 


RECIPES  AND  NOTABILIA  359 

many  pounds  are  constantly  destroyed  by  hasty  drying.  John 
does  not  think  of  it  over  night,  and  when  the  boots  are  wanted 
in  the  morning  they  are  damp.  Then  comes  the  fire  to  work, 
and  hinc  illce  lachrymce.  The  sun,  if  you  can  make  use  of  him, 
is  a  much  safer  medium  ;  turn  the  boots  down  as  far  as  you  can, 
prop  them  open  with  sticks,  and  let  the  sun's  rays  strike  down 
into  them.  Never  allow  your  mackintoshes  to  he  hung  up  on  a 
peg,  for  more  mackintoshes  are  spoilt  by  this  plan  than  by  all 
the  wear  you  can  give  them.  The  peg  point  cracks  the  rubber 
by  stretching  it,  and  a  new  mackintosh  is  often  rendered  leaky 
in  one  night.  Even  if  hung  up  by  the  loop,  which  is  appended 
to  them  for  that  purpose,  there  is  a  heavy  drag  upon  two  points, 
which  will,  sooner  or  later,  produce  the  same  result.  I  always 
spread  mine  over  a  chair  back,  or  fold  up  and  put  it  away  in  a 
cupboard  when  not  wanted.  Never  mind  what  waterproof ers 
say  about  hanging  up.  Repairing  is  their  business,  and  wearing 
out  is  yours.  Many  a  time  have  I  got  wet  through  with  a  nearly 
new  mackintosh,  and  from  no  other  reason  than  a  minute  peg 
split,  not  bigger  than  a  pin's  point. 

Dry  Lines. — All  lines  and  nets  after  using  should  be  spread 
out,  or  hung  up,  to  dry.  A  trolling  or  fly  line  can  be  unwound, 
and  either  wound  round  the  back  of  a  chair  or  laid  upon  the 
sideboard  in  loose  coils  ;  but  by  no  means  put  them  away  in  the 
least  damp,  or  when  you  see  them  again  they  will  be  found  to  be 
perfectly  rotten  and  useless. 

To  Preserve  Gut,  Silk,  Tinsel,  etc. — Neither  keep  it  in  too 
dry,  or  rather  warm,  a  place,  lest  it  become  brittle,  nor  in  a 
damp  place,  where  it  will  become  rotten.  Do  not  expose  it 
either  to  the  air  more  than  possible  or  to  the  sun,  for  light 
appears  to  have  a  very  deleterious  effect  upon  gut  and  silk  ;  a 
hank  of  gut  exposed  in  a  shop-window  speedily  gets  rotten  and 
unreliable.  I  usually  coil  the  gut  and  wrap  it  in  a  piece  of 
flannel  and  put  it  away  in  a  box  till  required.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  tying  silks  precisely,  while  tinsel  must  be  kept  in  the 
dark  to  preserve  its  colour.  It  may  be  partially  restored  by 
wetting  the  fingers  with  a  little  spirit,  and  drawing  the  tinsel 
between  them  repeatedly  ;  but  it  never  attains  its  pristine 
brilliance.  Very  dim  tinsel  in  some  old  fly,  which  it  may  be 
thought  desirable  to  give  one  more  trial  to,  may  be  brightened 
up  by  the  application  of  a  knife. 

Old  Flies  or  Hooks  Drawing. — Many  an  old  fly  or  hook  will 
draw,  that  is,  the  gut  will  draw  away  from  the  hook  when  first 
used.    But  dry  gut  will  draw  when  wet  will  not.    Therefore, 


36o  A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 

before  using,  or  even  testing,  such  materials,  soak  them  for  a 
few  minutes,  when  the  fact  of  their  being  trustworthy  or  the 
reverse  may  easily  be  ascertained  for  a  certainty.  Gut  will 
seldom  draw,  however,  if  the  extreme  end  is  bitten  or  flattened. 

Oil  for  Hooks. — Oil  used  for  preserving  hooks,  swivels,  etc. 
from  rust  should  be  boiled,  so  that  if  there  be  any  water  in  it 
(as  is  frequently  the  case)  it  evaporates  in  the  steam,  and  the 
oil  is  purified.  If  this  be  not  done,  the  hook  points  will  often 
suffer  from  rust  in  spite  of  the  oil. 

Marine  Glue  will  often  be  found  very  serviceable  in  covering 
weak  splices  and  securing  ties,  as  it  becomes  extremely  hard,  is 
yet  elastic,  and  will  not  crack,  and  is  quite  impermeable  to  wet 
even  under  the  hardest  work,  which  few  varnishes  are  capable 
of  undergoing.  It  is  difficult  to  lay  it  on  neatly  ;  the  best  plan 
is  to  pass  a  hot  iron  over  it. 

I  have  now  brought  the  angler  to  the  end  of  my  instructions, 
and  if  I  have  succeeded  in  imparting  to  him  any  useful  know- 
ledge my  end  will  have  been  accompHshed. 


THE  END 


INDEX 


Alderon  Stream,  River  Tay,  283,  Plate  XX. 
Angling  Literature,  2 
Artificial  flies,  for 
Lake  trout,  166 

General    trout    flies,    176.      The    Francis, 
coachman,  Hofland's  fancy,  governor,  the 
Edmead,  Greenwell's  glory,  grouse  hackle, 
partridge  hackle,  soldier  palmer 
Monthly  list  of 

March. — The    February   red,    the   blue 
.  dun,  early  blue  dun,  red  spinner,  March 
brown,  cow-dung,  needle  brown,  red  and 
black  palmers,  143 

April. — Yellow  dun,  brown  spinner, 
large  yellow  dun,  little  iron-blue,  jenny 
spinner,  black  gnat,  hawthorn,  gravel  becl, 
sand  fly,  grannom,  sedge  fly,  quill  gnat, 
150 

May. — Stone  fly,  oak  fly,  little  sky  blue, 
the  alder,  pale  evening  dun,  little  yellow 
May  fly,  158 

June. — Green  drake,  grey  drake,  coch  y 
bondu.  Bracken  clock,  or  fernwebb,  fern 
fly,  yellow  Sally,  barm  fly,  foetid  brown, 
caperer,  161 

July. — The  red  and '  black  ants,  the 
house  fly,  brown  skipjack,  or  Hammond's 
adopted,  the  wrentail,  the  white  moth,  the 
brown  moth,  green  midge,  blue  midge,  the 
ashy  dun,  July  dun,  black  and  brown 
silver  horns,  169 

August. — August  dun,  the  cinnamon, 
172 

September. — The     whirling     dun,     the 
willow  fly,  173 
Salmon  flies,  248 

The  Anthony  (yellow  and  orange),  303 

Baker,  252,  313 

Beauly  snow,  278 

Bittern,  279,  Plate  XIX 

Black  and  yellow,  258 

Black  and  teal,  254 

Black  dog,  283 

Blackwall,  313 

Black  ranger,  275,  Plate  XVIII 

Blue  jay,  310 

Britannia,  255 

Butcher,  252,  272,  315 

—  fly,  309 
Canary,  273 
Candlestick  maker,  253 
Captain,  313 
Childers,  253 
Chimney  sweep,  377 

Claret  (or  fiery  brown),  253,  295,  301 

Claret  jay,  Frontispiece 

Colonel,  250 

Denison,  266 

Dhoon  fly,  270 

Doctor,  249 

—  silver,. 250,  257 

—  blue,  257 
Drake  wing,  256 

Duke  of  Sutherland,  270 


Artificial  Salmon  flies — continued 
Dun  wing,  256 
Durham  ranger,  256 
Dusty  miller,  279,  Plate  XIX 
Eagle,  264 
Early,  309 

Francis'  favourite,  279,  Plate  XIX 
Gamekeeper,-  315 
Garibaldi,  310 
G  led  wing,  or  redwing,  263 
Golden  mallard,  258 

—  olive,  310 
Goldfinch,  255 
Gordon,  265,  Plate  XVI 
Grace,  309 

Green  grouse,  310 

—  king,  287 
Guinea  hen,  253 
Highlander,  268 
H.I.S.,  291 
Inchiquin,  298 
Indian  crow,  272 
Jock  Scott,  256 
John  Scott,  277 
Judge,  309 
Kate,  257 
Lascelles,  271 
Laxford,  271 

Lee  blue,  Frontispiece 

Lion,  285 

Llanover,  311 

McGildowny,  309 

Major,  250 

Mar  lodge,  265,  Plate  XVI 

Murray,  284 

Namsen,  254 

Nicholson,  283 

O'Donoghue,  291 

Orange  and  grouse,  293 

Parson,  251,  289 

Policeman,  285 

Popham,  254 

Powell's  fancy,  309,  313 

Priest,  270 

Purple  king,  287 

The  Ranger  (black),  250 

(blue),  251 

Shannon,  299 

Sir  Francis  Sykes,  270 

Sir  Herbert,  265,  Plate  XVI 

Snow  fly,  275,  278 

Spey  dog,  286 

Switching  Sandy,  271 

Tartan,  263,  283 

Teal  wing,  257 

Thunder  and  lightning,  293 

Toppy,  257 

The  Wasps,  284 

Waterwitch,  285 

Welshman's  fairy,  313 

White  tip,  257,  319 

—  wing,  257 
Wilkinson,  265,  Plate  XVI 

Sea  trout  flies,  318 
Stewart's  flies,  178,  179 
Trout  flies,  134 


36' 


362 


A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 


Trout  flies — continued 
Alder,  or  orl  fly,  i6o 
Ashy  dun,  171 
August  dun,  172 
Barm  fly,  or  nobbier,  168 
Black  ant,  169 

—  gnat,  156 

—  palmer,  194 

Blue  dun,  hare's  ear,  etc.,  143 

early,  144 

Blue  midge,  171 

Brown  bent.    See  Wrentail 

—  moth,  171 

—  skipjack  or  Hammond's  adopted,  170 

—  spinner,  152 
Caperer,  169 
Cinnamon,  173 
Coachman,  176 

Cob  fly.    See  March  Brown 

Coch  y  bondu,  or  Bracken  clock,  etc.,  167 

Cocktail.    See  Blue  Dun 

Cow-dung,  or  lion  fly,  146,  173 

Downhill.    See  Oak  Fly 

Edmead,  177 

February  red,  143  • 

Fern  fly,  167 

Fcetid  brown,  168 

Francis,  176 

Governor,  177 

Grannom,  or  greentail,  157 

Gravel  bed,  or  spider  fly,  156 

Green  drake.    See  May  Fly 

—  midge,  171 
Green  well's  glory,  177 
Grey  drake,  166 
Grouse  hackle,  177 

Hammond's  adopted,    170.      See   Brown 

skipjack 
Hare's  ear.    See  Blue  Dun 
Hawthorn  fly,  156 
Hofland's  fancy,  177 
House  fly,  169 
Jenny  spinner,  155 
July  dun,  172 
Large  yellow  dun,  172 
Little  blue,  or  sky  blue,  160 

—  iron-blue,  152 

—  yellow  May  fly,  161 
March  brown,  or  cob  fly,  146 
May  fly,  or  green  drake,  161 

Needle  brown,  or  Spanish  needle,  147,  173 

Nobbier.    See  Barm  fly 

Oak  fly,  or  down-hill,  159 

Orl  fly.    See  Alder 

Pale  evening  dun,  160 

Palmers.    See  Red  Hackles 

Partridge  hackle,  177 

Peacock  fly,  150 

Quill  gnat,  or  spent  gnat,  158 

Red  and  black  hackles,  148 

Red  ant,  169 

—  palmer,  148 

—  spinner,  144 
Sand  fly,  157 

Sea  trout  flies,  318 

Sedge  fly,  157 

Silver  horns  (black  and  brown),  172 

Sky  blue.    See  Little  Blue 

Soldier  palmer,  178 

Spanish  needle.    See  Needle  brown 

Spent  gnat.    See  Quill  Gnat 

Spider  fly.    See  Gravel  Bed 

Stone  fly,  158 

Whirling  dun,  173 

White  moth,  171 

Willow  fly,  174 

Wrentail,  Brown  bent,  etc.,  170 

Yellow  dun,  151 


Trout  B.\es— continued 
Yellow  dun,  larger,  152 
—  Sally,  168 
Artificial  perch  baits,  68,  69 

—  pike  baits,  95 

—  spinners,  84 


Baiting  a  worm,  5 

Baiting  needle,  91,  Plate  VI 

Bait  table,  350  et  seq. 

Ballinahinch,  white  trout  stream,  121,    Plate 

VII 
Bank-fishing,  4 
Barbel-fishing,  33 
Beetles,  354 

Beetle-fishing,  197,  Plate  IX 
Birch  Grove,  a  salmon  cast  on   the  Wye,  241, 

Plate  XII 
Bleak-fishing,  17 
Blow  line.    See  Live  Fly  Fishing 
Blowing  the  trumpet,  21 
Bottom-fishing,  i 
Bream-fishing,  51 
Butt,  right  way  of  giving  the,  243,  Plate  XIII 


Caddis,  353 

Carp-fishing,  53 

Casting  float  tackle,  45,  Plate  VIII 

—  line  for  trout,  106 
for  salmon,  232 

—  spinning  bait,  87 

—  trout  fly.  III 

—  salmon  fly,  234 

—  worm,  203 
Cement,  358 

Chapman's  spinner,  84,  Plate  V 

Cheese  bait,  356 

Chub-fishing,  27 

Clay  ball-fishing,  38,  Plate  II 

Clearing  ring,  9,  Plate  I 

Clod-fishing  for  eels,  62 

Cockchafer,  38-9,  353,  354 

Cockroach,  354 

Colonel  Hawker's  tackle.    See  Salter's  Tackle 

Cork  floats,  3,  15,  93,  &c.,  Plate  II 

Crab,  or  creeper-fishing,  195,  354 

Cricket,  the,  354 


Dace-fishing,  25 

Daping,  or  dibbing  for  chub,  29 

for  trout,  190 

Disgorger,  90,  Plate  VI 

Dress  for  fishing,  130 

Dressing  for  lines,  357 

Drop-minnow,  213 

Dropper  flies,  how  to  fasten,  &c.,  106,  Plate  III 

Dry  fly-fishing,  128 


Eel-fishing,  60 

Entomological  system,  the,  134,  135 

Ephemeridae,  the,  140 


Fish-baits,  85,  86,  135,  136,  355 

The  flight  for  spinning,  76 
Float-fishing  for  trout,  189 
Floats.    See  Cork  Floats 
Floors  Castle.    See  Shot 
Fly  dressing  (trout),  324,  Plate  XIII 

(salmon),  331,  Plate  XIV 

Francis's  spinning  tackle,  81,  207,  Plate  IV 


INDEX 


363 


French  style  of  barbel-fishing,  38 
Frog-fishing,  30,  94 
Frogs,  large  and  small,  355 


GafF,  the,  9 

Gaffing  a  salmon,  249,  Plate  XIV 

General  flies.    See  Artificial  Flies 

Gentles.    See  Maggots 

Gimp,  to  stain,  358 

Gorge-fishing  for  pike,  91,  Plate  I 

Grapnell,  or  drag,  9,  Plate  I 

Grasshopper,  or  grub  fishing,  219,354,  Plate  IX 

Grayling-fishing,  216 

Greaves,  353 

Ground-baits,  5 

Grubs,  353 

Gudgeon-fishing,  15 

Gut,  to  dye,  357 

—  to  preserve,  359 

H 

Hearder's  plano-convex  bait,  95 
Hooks,  a  chapter  on,  341  et  seq. 

—  drawing,  359 

—  oil  for,  360 

Humblebee.    See  Cockchafer 
Hung  up  in  casting  the  fiy,  122 

I 


India-rubber  glue,  358 


Jiggering,  244 


Knots  and  hitches,  various,  Plate  III 
Kelt  grayling,  221 


Lake-fishing,  184 

Lake  trout  flies.    See  Artificial  Flies 

Lampern-bait,  39 

Landing  nets,  9,  Plate  I 

Lead  for  spinning,  72,  73,  Plate  IV 

Lea  rods.    See  Rods 

Ledger  tackle,  36,  56,  Plate  I 

—  fishing,  36 
Leeches,  354 

Length  of  cast  in  spinning,  87 

—  of  trout  fly,  113 

—  of  salmon  fly,  236 

Lines  bottom-fishing,   12;    Nottingham,    43; 
spinning,  74,  75  ;  trout  fly,  108  ;  salmon,  232 

—  to  dry,  359 

List  of  flies.    See  Artificial  Flies 
Live-baiting  (pike),  93,  Plate  VI 
Live-bait  kettle,  9,  Plate  I 
Live-fly  fishing,  190 
Live-fly  casting,  190 


Maggots,  352 

Marine  glue,  360 

Mice,  355 

Minnow  tackles,  212,  Plate  VIII 

—  spinning.    See  Spinning  for  Trout  in  small 

streams 
Moth  in  feathers,  358 
Multiplying  winch,  no 


N 


Natural  history  of  trout  flies,  139 
Night-fishing  with  fly,  131 
Norfolk  baits,  6 

—  angling,  10 

Notabilia.    See  Recipes,  etc. 
Nottingham  angling,  42 

—  spinning  tackle,  74,  80,  Plate  V 


Otter  lure,  the,  95 


Palmers,  178,  354,  the  theory  of,  148 

Par-tail  fishing,  216 

Paste  bait,  22,  356 

Paternostering,  65,  66,  Plate  IV 

Pearl  barley,  356 

Pennell's  spinning  tackle,  83,  Plate  IV 

Perch-fishing,  63 

Phryganidae,  the,  140 

Pike-fishing,  70 

—  float,  Plate  II 

—  fly,  95 

Pitlochry  Head,  River  Tay,  227,  Plate  XI 

Plumbing  the  depth,  6 

Plummets,  ib.,  Plate  I 

Pond-fishing,  3 

Pope-fishing,  16 

Pouching  the  bait  (pike),  92 

Punt-fishing,  10 

Preserving  fish  baits,  85,  86,  215,  355 

—  gut,  silk,  tinsel,  etc.,  359 


R 


Rats,  355 

Recipes  and  notabilia,  357 
Refraction  of  the  water,  130 
Rivers,    for    which    lists   of    flies    have    been 
given  : — 

*The  Annan,  261 

*Awe,  272 

fBallycroy,  295 

fBann,  310 

♦Beauly,  278 

tBlackwater  (Cork),  304 

t —  (Kerry),  306 

♦Bladenoch,  259 

*Brora,  276 

tBush,  308 

fCaragh,  305  > 

fConn  (Lake),  294 

tConnemara  (Rivers  and  Lakes),  297 

♦Conon,  268 

§Conway,  313 

§Corthy,  315 

♦Cree,  259 

tCurrane  (Lake)  or  Waterville,  305 

*Dee  (Aberdeen),  262 

♦—(Kirkcudbright),  258 

§— (Welsh),  316 

♦Deveron,  265 

♦Don,  264 

§Dovey,  313 

§Eden,  316 

tErne,  289 

§Esk,  316 

tFern  (Lake),  298 

♦Findhorn,  279 

tFlesk,  301 

tGalway,  297 


*  Rivers  marked  •  are  Scotch,  f  Irish,  and  §  Welsh  or  English 


364 


A  BOOK  ON  ANGLING 


Rivers — continued 

♦Garry  (Perth),  280 

* —  (L.  Ness),  274 

tGill  (Lake),  292 

♦Helmsdale,  277 

flnchiquin,  298 

*IsJa,  286 

fKillarney,  301 

tLaune,  302 

♦Laxford,  271 

fLee,  303 

tLennan,  298 

♦Lochy,  269 

♦Luce,  259 

fMelvin  (Lake),  291 

♦Minnick,  259 

tMoy,  292 

♦Ness,  265 

♦Nith,  261 

tNore,  308 

♦Orchy,  272 

tOwenmore,  295 

♦Oykel,  276 

tShannon,  299 

♦Shin,  275 

♦Spey,  286 

♦Stinchar,  260 

tSuir,  306 

§Tawe,  317 

♦Tay,  282 

♦Thurso,  269 

§Tivey,  314 

§Torridge,  317 

§Towey,  314 

♦Tummel,  286 

♦Tweed,  255 

§Usk,  311 

§Wye,  312 
Roach-fishing,  17 

Rods.    Bottom-fishing,  11  ;   Lea,  13  ;   Notting- 
ham,  42  ;     spinning,    74  ;     trout   fly,    loi  ; 

salmon,  228 
Rudd-fishing,  24 
Ruffe.    See  Pope 
Running,  or  reel  lines.    See  Lines 


Salmon-fishing,  226,  242 
Salter's  minnow  tackle,  81 
Scratchings.    See  Greaves 
Sea  trout-fishing,  246 
Selection  of  trout  flies,  a,  179 
Shade-fishing.    See  Daping 
Shot,  the,  Floors  Castle  water,  River  Tweed, 
227,  Plate  XI 


Single  hair,  12,  20 

Sinking  and  drawing  for  roach,  22 

—  trout,  189 
Sinking  the  fly,  126 
Slider-float,  the,  49,  Plate  11 
Slugs  and  snails,  355 
Sniggling  eels,  60,  Plate  VI 
Spearing  eels,  60 

Spinning,  72,  207,  210,  Plate  IV 

—  tackles,  baited  various,  Plate  V 
Spinning  for  trout  in  small  streams,  210 
Spoon-fishing,  94 

Stewart's  flies.    See  Artificial  Flies 
Stewart's  worm  tackle,  37,  200,  201,  and  202, 

Plate  VIII 
Still  water-fishing.    See  Pond  Fishing 
Stream-fishing,  4 
Striking,  240 

Swims,  how  to  choose,  &c.,  4 
Switching,  116,  237,  Plate  XIII 


Tackle  making,  324 

Tench-fishing,  57 

Test,  dry  fly  water  on,  121,  Plate  VII 

Thames  trout-fishing,  206 

Trace  for  spinning,  72,  Plate  IV 

Trolling.    See  Gorge  Fishing 

Trout-fishing,  99 

Trout  flies,  plate  of,  Plate  VII 

—  to  pack,  358 

Tweed  flies,  255 


Varnish  for  tackle,  rods,  &c.,  357 
Vision,  powers  of,  in  trout,  129 


Wasp-grub,  194,  219,  Plate  IX 

Water  boots,  358 

Waterproofs,  358 

Wax-liquid,  white,  dry,  357,  358 

Wheat  or  barley,  356 

Whitling,  the.    See  Sea  Trout 

Winch's  bottom-fishing,  13  ;   Nottingham,  42  ; 

spinning,  75,  76;    trout,  no;    salmon,  231 

232 
Wind  and  weather,  116,  118 
Working  the  fly  for  trout,  114 
— -salmon,  238 
Worm-fishing,  198 
Worms,  350-352 


Rivers  m  irked  ♦  are  Scotch,  t  Irish,  and  §  Welsh  or  English  rivers. 


I 


oWJ-  0.  VC  12583 


